


The Life We Fight For

by PriscillaKing



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Canon-Typical Violence, Dysfunctional Family, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Non-Consensual Spanking, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-08-10 23:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 171,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16464545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PriscillaKing/pseuds/PriscillaKing
Summary: When Danny's parents capture him with the help of an ancient enemy, they make all Danny's fears come to life. The only person who can save him is his billionaire arch-enemy, but is Danny willing to give Vlad a second chance and work together before the Fenton family falls apart?





	1. Fire Away

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I started on Fanfiction.net I wanted to share to AO3. Enjoy~

 

**Edited: 5/10/18 - for typos and smoothness  
**

_**The Life We Fight For  
** _

**Chapter 1:Fire Away  
**

In the less-than-peaceful town of Amity Park it was most certainly not unusual to hear about a ghost attack at least once every other day. It was even more common that the name 'Danny Phantom' came up in almost any conversation concerning the attacks. With less and less people in the small town gunning for Danny's afterlife, the half-ghost's life was much less dangerous than it once had been. The 'Guys in White' always seemed to be out for the halfa's ectoplasm spilled, but they were no longer aided by the people of Amity and most people defended Danny Phantom, despite not knowing about Danny's half-ghost status.

His sister had repeatedly told him about the innumerable benefits of confessing his secret to their parents, then maybe the world as well, but there was always a mess of worries that flooded the ghost boy's brain at even the mere mention of his parents. His emotions remained cautious and his thoughts fixated on the countless 'what ifs' that surrounded such a scenario. Being the psychologist that she was, Jazz had tried to talk Danny through the fear she could never understand, but it had only caused a rift to firm between them, with Danny's irrational behavior toward his sister becoming the result.

In the half-ghost's eyes, his life was perfect. He wasn't hated by the town, or even called the annoying nickname 'Invosibill' anymore. Things seemed to be looking up for him, and that was a feat Danny hadn't thought possible in a long time.

However, there was still plenty of other dangers in the teenager's everyday life.

"Danny lookout!"

The halfa dove downward towards the ground in front of the teens' school just before a beam of energy could slam into his chest. The ghost in front of him, clad in a metal, weaponized suit, chuckled as his eyes landed on the source of the cry. It was none other than the whelp's comrade, the clumsy, redheaded, _helpful_ one.

The morning was clear and the ghost's hunting obsession was kicked into full-drive. As far as Skulker was concerned, the human girl before him basically screamed 'bait'. The ghost boy seemed to realize the implications of her presence as well for he instantly had a glare set on his face and carelessly turned away from him to yell at her.

"Get out of here Jazz!" Danny said with a scowl. Jazz had been eating at him all of the past week about being more careful in his fights, and had taken to following him around on patrol and monitoring his training with his friends, making her brother more aggravated than usual. Jazz was his sister, and he could never hate her, but the almost obsessive behavior she was showing toward his ghost half was irritating at best, and Danny was completely frustrated.

When his older sister merely smiled sweetly at him and pointed behind him, he immediately gasped and whirled around, only to realize he had done so too late and was struck right in his chest by a ghost ray, sending him flying back towards Jazz and crashing into the grass beside her, groaning in pain.

"Come on little brother, I thought you were better than that." Jazz teased, her eyes narrowed in a challenge. "Even I know not to turn my back on my enemy."

Danny merely spat out a mouthful of dirt and glared at her in disdain. Why did older sister's have to be so meddlesome?

"You know, she's right!" came Skulker's voice as several cannons sprung from his suit and launched themselves at Danny, forcing him to rocket into the air and weave through the maze of missiles being released in his direction, hoping and praying he wouldn't be blamed for any damage done to the school.

Danny swiftly turned invisible and shot through the sky to the back of the school, trying to spot his two friends through the crowd of panicking students and reporters interrogating them. He saw Sam at the front of all the chaos standing beside Tucker, who was swiftly typing away on his PDA, his face scrunched in concentration.

Danny landed beside them and turned human, still invisible, before popping into their line of sight, thankful for once that he was barely spared a glance while all the a-listers were interviewed about their 'tragic' attacking. This time Danny was honestly grateful that the hunter ghost had attacked whilst the class had been in session. The panic going on around him had been the perfect distraction in order for him to change into Phantom.

"What's taking so long Tuck?" Danny said, effectively spooking his friends.

"Dude!" Tucker jolted, playfully punching his half-ghost friend's arm. "Don't do that!"

Danny frowned as Skulker continued to circle the building with an evil sneer, no doubt looking for his ghost half. Sam followed his line of sight and then turned to Tucker, peeking at his PDA. They'd been trying for the past few minutes to shut down the mecha-ghost's suit, but there had been quite a few complications.

"Still no luck?" she asked, her lavender eyes both curious and cautious at once. "This is the first time his tech has withstood all your nerd abuse." Tucker scowled at her, but before he could think of an insult, Danny spoke up.

"You can't override his systems?" Danny questioned, watching the technogeek struggle to pass firewall after firewall. "Never thought the dude would learn."

Tucker nodded distractedly, his eyes glued to the screen. When he finally caught a break, gaining some progress in his hacking, he spoke up.

"It's weird, I got in pretty quick at first, though there was whole new coding, but their was this program I couldn't get into no matter how hard I tried. It looked a lot like some kind of spyware." Tucker once again got blasted out of the ghost's systems and he sighed in defeat. "I think he's gotten outside help to upgrade his software."

"And that someone is watching us with the spyware you saw?" Danny concluded, his gaze hardening in thought. "But who would-?"

A loud scream ripped through the air and Danny gasped, his icy blue eyes widening with recognition. His blood ran cold and he instantly ducked down out of sight in the confusion and panic and turned invisible once more, transforming and launching into the air.

"Jazz!" Danny exclaimed, his eyes glued to the ghost on the roof, his metal arm clamped around his sister's shoulders, while a cannon-like gun was pointed directly at Danny.

"You continue to be useful to me, girl." Skulker sneered, his metallic mouth curved in a smirk while his eyes remained trained on Danny. The ghost boy glared daggers at the hunter in return, his eyes glowing a toxic green.

"Let her go Skulker, or believe me, you'll regret it."

Skulker chuckled at the bravado the clumsy one's brother had. He clearly did not understand the position that he was currently in. Skulker grinned and within a second a blade sprung from his arm, curving around Jazz's neck dangerously close to her throat. His sister cringed in response but otherwise looked calm, keeping her eyes on Danny in silence.

"No!" Danny yelled. He touched down on the roof and advanced toward Skulker, his hands glowing with green energy.

"Ah ah ah," Skulker mocked, his gun humming with power. "One step further, and you're both done for. However, if you stand down now, I'll spare the girl."

Danny looked at the panicked face of his sister and bit his lip, his hands fisted at his sides but still containing energy at-the-ready. Jazz was yelling at him, pleading with him to run, to fly away and leave her. Danny's stomach churned at the thought and the energy around his hands evaporated.

"Fine...just let her go." Danny relented, his hands coming up in surrender. He didn't hear his sister's screams as Skulker dropped her to the ground and held her still using energy. Trapped on the ground with no possible way of saving her brother, Jazz yelled in anguish.

"Stop! Leave him alone you crazy ghost!" Jazz demanded, struggling as much as she could. Danny looked angry and hostile, not at all afraid, but Jazz could only see the image of her younger brother's corpse laying on the ground, with her alive, never being able to forget it. The thought left her breathless and energized at the same time, and she fought her bonds with vigor.

Danny grit his teeth in rage. He was trapped, up against a wall. Skulker had been attacking him more and more throughout the past month, and with each fight, he emerged with new tech, and Danny was all too familiar with his newest phase-proof ecto cannons. One strike in the right place, and he was down for the count. He wouldn't die in one hit, that he was sure of, he'd gotten hit twice before, but it had almost made him change back each time, burning him and tossing him through the air like a ragdoll when he'd been hit by the cannonball-shaped bullet.

"Finally," Skulker said, his gun whirring to life. "I can't kill you, but it's going to be fun watching you squirm in agony for a few hours. Say goodbye to free will, ghost child!"

Danny stood on the roof with every muscle in his body screaming and tense with the need to fly away. But his morals and the sight of his sister still held in the hunter's energy kept him rooted to the spot, staring down the barrel of the gun that would no doubt hurt...a lot. He watched with clenched teeth as Skulker smirked and set his finger over the trigger, preparing to fire.

Suddenly, a blinding blue light sprung to life beside Danny, and he turned to see his two friends standing near the door to the roof, clearly having ran all the way from the crowd below to the fight above. Sam held a thermos in her slim hands, a victorious smirk on her lips, and as she pressed the appropriate button and the vortex of blue began to suck up their screaming enemy, she couldn't help but shout,

"I think it's you who should say goodbye to free will, Ghost Zone's Worst Hunter."

Danny's face lit up and he felt relief wash over him as the bonds surrounding his sister vanished and his friends grabbed them both in a hug. As Danny took the thermos from Sam and strapped it to his suit, his eyes went to the crowd below, which had slowly begun to disperse now that eminent danger was not present.

"I wonder if we'll have to go back to class now," Danny wondered, turning away from the lingering scene of chaos below. "You'd think they would be used to the attacks by now."

_"_ They've definitely been much more frequent lately." Sam said worriedly, gazing up at the morning sky. "Especially Skulker. This is the third time in only two weeks he's come after you, talk about obsessed."

"It's definitely weird." Tucker agreed. "I'm sure the update to his suit has something to do with it, too."

Jazz stood back, her redish-orange hair swirling in the wind. Her eyes were downcast, a troubled look on her face. She still felt as if something wasn't right. Skulker was gone, her brother was safe, there was nothing to worry about. But for some reason, she couldn't shake this sudden, odd feeling that something bad was going to happen!

"Danny?" Jazz said, interrupting whatever conversation the teens had been having. Danny glared at her but said nothing. "Maybe you should turn human, just in case."

Danny looked down at his glowing, jumpsuit-clad ghost body. It wasn't a completely unreasonable request, but because he was so annoyed with his sister's recent meddling he just stuck out his tongue at her childishly and created a brighter hue around him.

"What, are you scared of me now?" Danny teased, his eyes lit up with mirth. He had meant it as a joke, but Jazz couldn't help the pang of hurt in her chest. "There's no one here Jazz, chill." He continued.

Honestly, he just wanted Jazz to leave, but he knew Sam would have slapped him silly if he were extremely rude to her. Sam wasn't great friends with Jazz, but she didn't like when they fought in front of her, Danny was often in a bad mood the rest of the day afterwards, leaving her to help him resolve things. Jazz sighed, breaking the tension that had begun to form in the air.

Still, the girl held an annoyed yet cautious gaze and rolled her eyes. "Whatever." she mumbled as the younger teens began to converse once more. Her muscles were tight and her breath quick. Danny was getting on her last nerve, but her knowledge of psychology kept her from pushing the matter further.

"So hypothetically, would you be able to gain the power to control water since ice is a form of it?" Sam wondered, her thoughts turning to her friend's abilities as she eyed his ghostly aura.

Danny himself had thought about the possibility that he could control water, he could already freeze it to suit his needs in battle, but manipulating the molecules of water themselves was a completely different matter. It wasn't a solidified element he could concentrate on as a whole, it was a freeform body of atoms he'd have to learn to move as a single company of compounds.

Still, he couldn't help but dream about it. Such a power want exactly common in the Ghost Zone, energy blasts were the most universal method of attack, even the most primitive specter could manipulate its energy. Danny knew some more powerful ghosts could make their energy more powerful, Danny had figured out that the color of their energy displayed their power. He didn't quite understand it all completely, but the thought frustrated him to no end, unable to figure out how he could get his energy to become more powerful...maybe water was the key.

"I..." Danny began, thinking it over. "It could happen, maybe, I'll be sure to ask Frostbite about it next time I visit, he would know."

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly a blue mist pooled out of Danny's mouth in a quickly dissapating vapor. The four teens shared a bewildered look and the very next second began looking around quickly, but they found no ghost, there was absolutely nothing in the area around them!

"Guys!" Tucker hissed, his head cocked to the side. "Do you hear that?" All the teens grew quiet in tense silence.

Jazz followed Tucker's gaze to the door to the roof. "It sounds like...Footsteps?"

A loud 'BANG!' resounded through the air, and a smoking gun and angry blur of orange and blue came into focus as the door to the roof was blasted to the floor, torn completely off its hinges.

"Mom! Dad!" Jazz exclaimed, her widened eyes falling on her brother, who was frozen in shock. She heard the 'clink' of her parents guns and turned her attention back to the ghost hunters in front of them.

"Don't worry kids! We'll save you from that evil spook!" Jack Fenton, father of Danny and Jazz, yelled in reassurance. In his hands he held a strange, long gun pointed directly at Danny's chest. "Hold still Phantom, you're toast!"

Danny finally regained feeling and launched off the ground away from the other teens, knowing exactly how 'professional' his father's aim was. If the bullet ricocheted while they stood behind Danny, it was sure to be a disaster. Danny's eyes stayed trailed on his father's hulk-ish form and tried to think, but his mind kept screaming at him to stand down. Hurting his parents wasn't exactly a heroic thing to do.

Maddie jumped in front of her husband, a smaller, but equally lethal gun trailed on Danny. Unlike the ghost boy's father, she wasted not a single breath and pulled the trigger. Danny froze, a silent gasp on his lips.

" _No!_ " Sam shrieked, running toward them. Tucker had just enough logic in his adrenaline-filled brain to grab her upper arm and yank her back, but Jazz had ran ahead of the two and all but tackled her mother. Sam stood shaking slightly but still angry and struggling in the arms of her dark-skinned friend, her eyes widened and her mind in a wild whirlwind of emotions. her friends were going to get hurt. Her crush of so many years would die if she didn't do something!

Danny hadn't been prepared for the shot. Not a word had been said between them. Usually there was some sort of witty banter, an exchange of insults and commentary at each other before any real fighting began, but the look in his mother's eyes had been...nothing short of murderous. Her eyes had flitted to Jazz for only a second, but it had been all she could take. Her child was being controlled, she was sure of it. Anything, human or ghost, that had the gall to hurt her children, had to deal with the wrath of Maddie Fenton, mother of two children. One of which she had just shot at point blank range, not that she knew that of course.

Danny grunted as a sharp pain shot through his side, sudden and biting but not overly painful. Danny looked down quickly and noticed that a pointed, small dart had struck him in his right side. He yanked it out, and his vision grew bleary instantly. He felt a second of fatigue that slowly went away after a few seconds, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He threw the dart to the side and moved lower to the ground, unsure if he would be able to stay airborne. He saw Jazz run to his parents and he instantly sprinted to her, pulling her off their parents in a hazed state.

"It's okay, Jazz, I'm okay!" He said over the noise of Maddie's surprised yells and Jack's confused shouts, but Jazz just turned to him in a panicked state, almost hysterical. She'd seen the dart before, in her parent's lab. She wasn't sure exactly what it did, but she was sure it was only going to cause her brother pain. Her eyes were wide and her hands shook as she tried to push him away, desperate to make him understand before it was too late.

"Get out of here!" She yelled, seeing the boy sway and losing his grip on her a bit. Her nightmares were coming true, her brother was going to be hurt, and it was going to be all her fault for not going with her gut feeling! "Danny, fly!"

"Danny, dude, we've got her, go!" Tucker said, holding Jazz's upper arms while Sam ran and kicked away the discarded dart gun from Maddie's sprawled form, the device flying to the rails of the roof with a 'Clang!'. The woman in blue grunted and pushed herself up, scrambling for her discarded weapon, while Sam glared at her, nearly defenseless but willing to resort to bodily harm to protect her friend. Tucker, seeing the look on her face instantly latched onto her arm, and turned her to Danny instead, who wobbled dangerously just a few feet beside them.

"Get away from my daughter!" Jack shouted, pulling out a second, oddly shaped gun Danny could barely see due to his clouded vision. She pulled the trigger and fired, a large, green and glowing net sprouting from it and encasing Danny inside it. Danny collapsed in the tight hold of the ghost-proof rope and crashed to the floor on his side.

" _Danny!_ " His sister and friend's collective voices yelled, making his foggy head pound painfully. Like the world was going in slow motion, Danny's eyes slowly went out of focus and began to close. His bright green eyes dulled and his gasping heaves for breath turned less labored and deep. The last thing he saw was a flash of bright orange, and the cold, foreboding, condemning voice of the woman he'd known his whole life.

"Finally gotcha, ghost boy."

 

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Danny's nightmares become reality in the worst possible way.** _

* * *

 


	2. Toxic

**Edited: 6/25/18**

**The Life We Fight For  
  
** **Chapter 2: Toxic** __ ****  
  
Maddie Fenton stood in the beside a long table in her basement turned lab, her eyes trained on the screen in front of her. She was not alone, not in the slightest. She was accompanied by an unconscious Danny Phantom, laying completely still on a lab table in fully ghost-proof restraints.

Maddie turned away from the screen to face the other being in the room with her, soft, lavender eyes steady and calculating.

"Well? Didn't I tell you it would work?" the slightly transparent, dark grey-skinned figure asked in boast. Its eyes were a sickening deep violet, just a hint of madness laced in its irises.

"The ghost boy will not have lasting effects from this...serum?" Maddie questioned, holding up the glowing substance kept in a small vial at eye level and staring at it with a critical eye.

"Not at all." the smirking ghost said, it's shoulder length lavender hair falling into his eyes ominously. "Now, my end of the bargain has been done. Now it's your turn."

Maddie stepped away from her computer and faced the ghost squarely and with dignity. Her movements swift but with purpose. She took three steps toward the ghost and wasted not a single second.

She leaned slightly upwards as the first was hovering, not about to give her any favors, and hesitated for only a brief, nervous moment. She then pecked the ghost on the cheek in a single, rigid movement, taking a handkerchief from a nearby cabinet and dabbing at her mouth.

"I hope your sick games have ended now, because our alliance is now over." Maddie declared. "If I see you around Amity I will personally see to it that you end up in a puddle of your own ectoplasm."

The ghost chuckled, floating backward toward the open ghost portal. The long, grey coat he wore easily visible as he neared the neon green light. The fabric, tattered with age and abuse, covered all of his body except his head, which remained a bright contrast to the dark color. His smile never faded even as silence took over between them. Finally, he turned and faced the portal, the swirls of green reflecting in his eyes as he stood staring at it.

"Until we meet again, Maddie Fenton." he said clearly, his eyes flashing a bright purple. Maddie felt frozen in place. Her senses dulled, her thoughts muddled, she felt completely helpless. "Phantom, he's so disgusting, isn't he?"

"Yes..." Her mouth moves on its own , her brain foggy and without feeling.

"He is evil, a dangerous mistake in the ghost realm, don't you agree?" those calm, purple eyes stayed fixed on the portal, but were anything but focused on it.

"I...agree."

The ghost's smile widened. He looked back, locking eyes with Maddie. She seemed to be in a daze, wobbling dangerously on her feet for a few seconds, eyes glazed over and face blank.

"Make sure he suffers." he said, his voice almost low enough to be a whisper, but she heard it loud and clear. He turned once more and dove into the void and out of her sight.

Maddie gasped as if she had been held in a choke hold, as if her lungs had been stressed to their max and she was just now getting a complete breath.

She found that she couldn't remember what the ghost had said, she only knew that she had a specimen to research and dissect, and she was going to do her job as she always did. Only, this was Phantom. Danny Phantom. Public Enemy #1. The reason her daughter was so confused and brainwashed and locked in her room in hysterics. Her eyes grew cold as a single thought flitted into her brain, like a sharp, piercing needle pressing deeper into her mind.

No mercy.

A low, pained gasp sounded from her left, and her head whipped to the table containing the ghost. Phantom was moving, slowly and awkwardly, but it didn't seem quite coherent yet. Maddie moved into its line of sight, remaining quiet.

The suddenly conscious being continued to stir, looking around in confusion. It looked disoriented, but that couldn't be true, ghosts couldn't feel, couldn't be hurt. Its eyes looked unfocused as it groaned in discomfort, not truly noticing where it was.

The ghost gasped as its arms refused to move when it tried to pull its hand up, surely the shock of being tied down had been all the ghost needed to become fully conscious, for its eyes darted around the lab it now resided in with a slowly growing panic. Its eyes, oh so disgustingly neon green, landed on the woman and she suppressed a shiver.

_'No, I can not show weakness.'_ she thought _. 'My family depended on me to keep them safe, my only job, my purpose in life is to keep them safe from danger.'_

She met the still confused gaze of the monster before her with a hard frown. Silence reigned for several seconds before the ghost spoke the only words it would ever say to her again.

"Mom? Why am I tied down?"

* * *

Jazz paced her room, phone clutched tightly in her hand. Two hours. Two hours her brother had been in the lab with her parents. She had screamed her throat raw, pounding on her door until her wrists ached and her palms bruised. The door was locked, the windows secured, she was trapped in her own house. Her neighbors were too used to the commotion from FentonWorks to give the racket a second thought, there was little she could do.

The few seconds after Danny had passed out had been the most nerve-racking of her life. The way Sam had sprinted toward him, only to be held back by Jazz's own mother, Tucker, pulling at the net in a desperate attempt to free his friend, shouting his name in panic over and over while Jack yelled for them to get away from the dangerous ghost. It had seemed to happen in slow motion, a surreal display of a scene that just couldn't be true.

Jazz had stood frozen, standing between her own father and her unconscious brother, shaking down to her fingertips. There hadn't been much of a fight. Her parents were stronger then her, but she had fought with all her might. Everything she'd dreamed could destroy her family's lives was unfolding right before her eyes as her only sibling was dragged alongside her to the Assault Vehicle.

Sam had to be restrained by Tucker and Jack until her parents arrived to take her home, deciding to give Tucker a ride as well after the Fenton's explained the situation. All the while, Danny lay unconscious in the back of the weaponized RV, unaware of the battle of wits playing out around him. Completely oblivious to the storm about to come.

Jazz jumped as her phone rang for the third time that hour, and she quickly brought it to her ear. She knew Sam's number, they'd exchanged them secretly in case something happened to Danny, despite not being the best of friends.

"Sam?" Jazz said, desperately trying to keep her voice from shaking. The anxiety of not knowing what to do was eating her inside, like a parasite.

"I've got all the ghost weapons we stashed in both my house and Tucker's." Sam's voice, completely solemn, spoke on the other end. "We can break you out, but I don't know how far we'll get if your dad is watching the door."

"He left a few minutes ago, I think..." she took a deep breath to steady herself. "I think Danny's awake now. Sam, we have to hurry before they hurt him!"

"Me and Tucker are already on our way." Sam replied, and a shout of 'faster!' Could be heard on Jazz's end as Sam yelled at Tucker to pour on more speed as they rode to the Fenton's on their mopeds. "We'll get there as soon as we can Jazz, keep us updated. If you hear or see anything, let us know."

Jazz mumbled a quiet 'yes' before dropping the phone on her bed, falling beside it and staring at the door in front of her. Her eyes threatened to fill with years but she swiped at her face instantly, sitting back up.

'Danny needs me to be strong.' Jazz thought, squaring her shoulders. 'Don't worry little brother, help is on the way!'

* * *

Danny cringed as soon as the words left his mouth. He glanced down at his black jumpsuit and glowing aura and cursed himself for his idiotic mistake.

"What did you call me, ghost?" Maddie demanded, her voice using the same tone as when she would discuss Danny receiving detention, or refusing to talk to her about his problems. Only this time, her tone meant much more than being grounded or lectured.

His very life and afterlife was at stake. He knew more than anyone, his mom could be dangerous when she wanted to.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Quiet ghost." Maddie snapped, her eyes flashing a bright purple for a short moment. Danny's eyes widened. That was _definitely_ new.

"Jack!" Maddie called up the stairs leading to the main floor of the house.

Danny gulped as he heard the tell-tale stomping of feet on the creaky floorboards and down the stairs, his breath growing shallow. The orange-clad ghost hunter came into view within seconds, a child-like grin plastered on his face. He wrapped an arm around his wife and stared at Danny with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Danny refrained from looking away and simply returned the look with a neutral expression. They would use his fear against him if he showed any sign off being anxious. His parents were almost too good at their job.

"Well well," Jack's voice boomed. "Looks like we finally gotcha speechless, spook!"

Jack laughed and Maddie have him a small smile, patting his shoulder and gesturing to the table behind her, which held their equipment. Jack's smile only widened as he bounded off to begin snatching things from the table that Danny couldn't see. Maddie stepped toward him and put a hand on her hip with a cruel glint in her eyes.

"What, no yelling? Begging? Maybe some witty banter?" Maddie snapped, making Danny tense. "Doesn't matter, I'm fed up with hearing your voice anyway."

She reached over and pulled a phase-proof gag from a cart Jack was wheeling toward her, and Danny finally got a grip with reality.

"W-wait a second, I have to tell you something!" Danny shouted, moving his head away as his mom gripped his hair. "Just listen to me for a second, don't you want to know where your son is?!"

Maddie froze for a short, precious second before taking the boy's white hair toward her. Danny hissed in pain and cringed all at once as she got in his face, those lavender eyes flashing bright violet again.

"Tell me where my son is, or I'll make sure your death is long, drawn out, and so painful you'll _beg_ me to end you." Maddie threatened.

Danny swallowed thickly. He had to tell them, his only choice was to tell his parents the secret he'd been keeping from them for almost a year now. He couldn't help the butterflies fluttering inside his stomach in nervousness, or the constricting feeling in his chest, but as he stared into his mother's eyes he found the carefully hidden concern, concern for her son, and was comforted ever so slightly.

"It's... it's me, I'm your son," as Danny said this, he brought forth the rings around his waist and willed them forward, replacing his sleek, black jumpsuit with faded jeans, sneakers, and a white and red T-shirt.

"D-Danny?" Jack's voice choked from beside Maddie. "Son is that...?"

Maddie's breath grew shallow. Her boy, he was a...ghost? A ghost, but how? Her logical mind couldn't for the life of her come up with a how or why to the situation that was so clearly in front of her. Her eyes blinked in confusion, before she reached out as if in a trance and brushed back Danny's hair, which produced a slight wince of pain from the previous tough treatment the boy had received.

"But, how?" Her eyes widened. "There's no way your body could remain perfectly fine with this amount of radioactive ectoplasm in your body, let alone your DNA!"

Danny shrugged, not liking the panicked look in her eyes. "I'm okay, I'm not radioactive or something, just half ghost."

"Half ghost." Jack said in a hoarse voice. "My son is half ghost?"

Danny bit his lip, unsure how to explain. He and his friends barely understood the process his body had undergone after a whole year of receiving a crash course in human and ghost anatomy, his survival had always been difficult for them to explain. they weren't scientists after all, they were teenagers!

"Wait, what about all those crimes? The mayor..." Maddie looked at him in disbelief. This was her son right? She wasn't easily fooled, but she had somehow missed her son being injured by her own hands, coming home late and tired with no explainable reason, getting worse grades than ever before? She set her hands on the table in despair. What kind of mother was she?

"That wasn't me, I was framed I swear!" Danny promised, unsure whether or not she would believe him, his mother's head was down, he couldn't see her face. "I wouldn't hurt anyone...so, please can you let me out of this?"

Jack moved toward the computer to set the restraints to 'release', but his arm was caught by his wife's slender fingers, stopping him from going any further.

Danny frowned, his muscles tensing up. "Mom?"

"My son is not a _ghost."_ she said, one hand still clutching the gag. "I'm going to fix this Danny, I promise."

Danny's eyes widened as she shoved the gag into his gaping mouth and secured it, turning away from the struggling boy and to her husband, who was looking uncertainly at her.

"It's our son Jack, my baby, he's half dead!" She cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Help me reverse this, I want my son to live a normal life, no more Danny _Phantom!"_

Danny fought to free himself in a state of panic as his parents drew closer to him. He shied away from his father's reassuring hand on his shoulder and stared at his mother in slight fear, knowing exactly what she was capable of.

"Okay sweetie, hold still," Maddie said softly, a long empty syringe in her hand. "It won't hurt for long, I promise."

Danny shook his head frantically and tried to move his arm away but Jack held him still while Maddie pierced his skin with expert precision. Danny cried out at the sharp pinch but the sound was muffled by the gag, and his parents didn't so much as glance at him.

"Jack, look at this." Danny's arm was released by his father in favor of staring at his half red, half green blood filling the syringe. Jack made a noise of concern and glanced over at Danny, who was looking more frightened by the minute.

"Danny?" Maddie said, placing the needle to the side. "Can you...change into Phantom please?"

Danny didn't think twice and shook his head roughly, earning a hard stare from Maddie. He held his ground however and refused to transform, knowing that as soon as he did, the real fun would begin.

"I'm not playing this game with you right now Danny." his mother warned, snatching the gag from his mouth. "Obey me now."

"Where's Jazz?" Danny questioned, ignoring her request. "Is she hurt? What about my friends?"

Maddie seemed to grow even more outraged for a moment, but instead of exploding as Danny thought she would, she got a grip on herself and let Jack speak instead.

"Maybe we won't tell you until you transform." Danny's father said evenly. "We could be here all day."

"Y-you'll dissect me!"

_"Danny!"_ Maddie cried, her eyes wide. "We would never dissect you like some animal. We just want to take a look at your...inner anatomy, is all. We won't be taking anything out of you."

Danny hesitated, looking between both his parents a few times before making a decision.

"Promise." he said to them, his eyes calm but his insides churning, trying not to succumb to his fight or flight reflex. "Promise me you won't treat me like a lab rat, and I'll do what you want."

His mom nodded seriously while his dad laughed at the possibility. Their son, a lab rat? Jack was certain if there was anyone on earth smart enough to cure his son, it was his beautiful wife, with his own help of course!

"You got a deal kiddo!" Jack said excitedly, looking over to the cart of medical supplies beside him in restrained suspense. "Now, time to tear- I mean, cure you, son!"

Danny rolled his eyes absentmindedly. He was not afraid of his bear-like fudge loving dad. His main concern was his mom, who at times could get majorly carried away. It did not help that she remained silent and calculating for a while now, simply looking at him.

"Alright, transform...please," she said evenly. As Danny did so there was a spark of something Danny couldn't recognize in her eyes, something dark that was definitely not his mother. "Now, in order to find the cure for your...condition, we need to understand how exactly it happened in the first place. There was a surge of electrical pulses that ran through your body with chemicals containing large amounts of ectoplasmic radiation, correct?"

Danny nodded once, having barely understood what she said. It was clear that she'd figured out his accident was the cause of his halfa status, but Danny wasn't so sure he liked where her thought process was headed.

"Jack honey? Would you turn on the ecto-current generator and hook it up please?" Maddie asked removing her hand from the table Danny rested on and stepping back to face the monitors in concentration.

"Wait a second, your going to- you can't shock me!" Danny cried, every fiber of his body on high alert. He watched in disbelief as his dad removed his jumpsuit and stuck electrodes to his chest, legs and head. "S-stop it."

"Don't worry Danny-boy this won't take long, right baby?" Jack said, still wearing his signature goofy, oblivious smile. Maddie returned his smile and patted his arm affectionately.

"Of course." She then turned and stood next to the computer, ready to fire up the machine, but hesitated. "Jack? Could you go check on Jazz while I do this?"

"Aw, but we never get to use the ecto-shocky thing!" he whined. Maddie sighed and sent him a condescending look and the orange wearing hunter deflated like a popped balloon. "Alright, I'm going."

Danny waited till his dad was well out of sight before turning his slightly angry gaze to his mother, who was typing away on the keyboard in front of her.

"Please don't do this."

Maddie jumped, almost as if she had forgotten he was even there. Danny held his stoic expression on the outside but inside he was a nervous wreck. His restraints were ghost-proof! The only way out was to use his Ghostly Wail, and he really didn't want to resort to that.

"I'm sorry honey, try to hold as still as you can so I can get a good reading, m'kay?" she answered, a bit of her old personality shining through the child, scientist persons she adopted when dealing with ghosts.

She then hit a button on the keyboard with an expressionless face and turned to the large, generator-type machine that would send the shockwaves into Danny's body. She hesitated for one second, looking anywhere but her son's face, and flipped the switch to start up the machine.

Danny's breaths came out in short, nervous gasps as he felt small jolts of electricity jerk into him from the points in his body that were attached to the machine, tingling sensations pooling into his veins and rushing through his entire being. Maddie noticed his nervousness and decided she would not torture him with waiting, and turned up the current to its 4th power.

He gasped and twisted his body as best he could while restrained, his brain screaming at him to run, to escape the pain, to use his powers on his mother and be done with it. But his rational self yelled in reason against the instincts of his ghost half, creating a painful rift within Danny's internal self.

"Stop!" Danny yelled, but he was ignored. In fact his mother raised the current to the 6th power of electrical waves, and Danny cried out in pain.

His body convulsed and shook with agonizing jolts as the electricity poured into him. He couldn't think properly, he pulled desperately at the restraints in panic but couldn't not so much as bend them. Maddie frowned but continued raising the dial to an 8.

Danny's screams would have without a doubt echoed throughout the whole neighborhood had they been anywhere but the soundproof basement turned laboratory of his home. A sudden jolt of 9th power current, and Danny let himself shed tears, though he kept enough dignity to make sure he did not sob or cry aloud.

"I can't- please mom it's too- _ah!_ please!"

Maddie Fenton took a shaky breath and willed her hand to move, sending the final wave of electrical surge through her son's body. Danny's back arched of the table and he shook and shuddered with the force of the terrible current running through him with no end in poured out from the corners of his eyes and if he hadn't been screaming his throat raw he would have noticed that the skin around the electrodes stuck to his body was becoming scarred and burnt, the tissue darkening with the pure heat coursing through his veins.

His arms and chest became zig zagged with lightning-like burns that scarred over and over thanks to his healing abilities. The marks crisscrossed and overlapped into what could only be described as what looked like a network of electric lines.

Danny dropped like dead weight as soon as his mother stopped his agony, and he panted in pain and relief, his body still twitching uncontrollably.

"Your body healed too fast." Maddie's disappointed voice proclaimed. "I suppose there are other ways I an find my answers."

"Other...ways?" Danny's voice choked out, his eyes dull and full of pain.

"I think I'll need to see how you respond to some anti-ghost alloys and repellants. Since you're only half ghost, you should have some immunity to some of them, the trick is finding out which ones." Maddie said, trying her best to sound real and not like a maniacal lunatic about to dissect a subject in front of her. The was her son after all.

"That sounds...painful." Danny gasped, beginning to regain more control over his abused body and beginning to struggle once more. "I can't do anymore, let me out. I want to get down from this table."

Maddie reached over and put a firm hand on his shoulder, halting the boy's wriggling. She wouldn't let him go. She couldn't. Danny was still half-ghost and she had no idea why or how. She would stay awake all night running tests if she had to.

"No Danny, I have to do this." Danny's eyes widened at the calculating and icy stare that penetrated him. "Don't fight me and it will be over easily and swiftly."

"B-but-"

"Enough. I'm going to retrieve the first element and your only job is to tell me how you feel, understood?"

Danny bit his lip but nodded regardless. _'It can't be as bad as the electricity, their anti-ghost equipment hardly works anyway.'_

Danny allowed himself to relax for a minute as his mom left his side, realizing with a grimace that one of his wrists were definitely broken in two if not more than three places. He could feel the stinging pain and fiery, throbbing feeling of a displaced bone without even looking at it. He purposefully looked away and focused on the ghost portal at the far end of the room instead.

Before becoming half ghost, he had been wary of the subject of ghosts and his parents' work on the ghost portal. Right now however, he wanted nothing more than to fly straight into the Ghost Zone and embrace the pure freedom of the chaotic, ghostly dimension.

"Alright." Maddie's voice sounded from behind him. "I'm opening the seal, don't forget to tell me exactly what you feel."

Danny was about to ask what it was she'd retrieved when he felt a revolting, nauseating feeling rip through his being. He gagged and glanced around in slowly growing panic as his body glowed a familiar, angry red. His head throbbed in pain and his limbs tensed in fear.

"That's... Blood Blossoms!"

"How do you feel?" Maddie questioned. "Sick? Throbbing sensations? Any Headaches?"

"It _hurts!"_

Danny heard a loud crash upstairs and tried to look behind him at his mother. Clearly, she too had heard, as she quickly went quiet. She dropped the plant beside him and sent him a warning stare.

"I'll be back, and when I do you better be more descriptive than 'it hurts' young man." Maddie said, taking long strides to the stairs.

"No! Wait, please don't leave!" Danny pleaded, jerking as far as he could from the flowers. "Mom please stop! I promise I'll do better! _Mom!"_

On the first floor of the Fenton house there utter chaos exploding from every corner of the place. Dishes lay broken on the ground, chairs were now mere splinters littering the floor, the front door had been busted to pieces!

Maddie ran through the kitchen and found none other than Sam Manson and Tucker Foley holding ecto-blasters and wrist rays, both pointed at her husband, who in turn held a Fenton bazooka.

"Kids stop!" Maddie yelled. "Jack put that weapon down!"

"We know he's here!" Sam cried, her eyes glaring daggers at the two adults. "Let him go, he's not a lab rat!"

_'Danny said that too...'_ Maddie vaguely remembered. She jogged to her husband's side and usher his arm done, lowering the gun he held tightly. _'They're children, they don't know what's best for them. I'm not in the wrong here, I can't be.'_

"We are doing our best to fix him, he's in good hands!" Jack said. "He'll be fully human again in no time!"

"He...told you?" Tucker asked in disbelief.

Maddie stepped forward, her hands raised. "We don't know the whole story, but we're doing all that we can to cure Danny of his condition."

"Cure? You want to _fix_ him?!" Sam exploded, shooting a nearby wall. "There was never anything wrong with him! He doesn't need your help!"

* * *

Jazz could hear the loud shouts from her bedroom, her hands desperately trying to shove her small hair pin through the lock and free herself. She shook the doorknob with all her might, jamming the small pin inside the opening and giving it a sharp twist.

The doorknob gave way and Jazz whooped with joy, racing down the stairs quietly but swiftly, slowing to a sneak as she neared her parents from behind. Meanwhile, they continued to argue with each other, ignorant of what was going on below.

"Danny is safe with us! Maddie just finished doing a shocky-type test to find answers to his ghostliness!" Jack argued to Danny's two friends.

Jazz couldn't believe what she was hearing, she glanced at Sam, who nodded slightly and inconspicuously to her, motioning to her blaster.

"Danny doesn't need to be 'fixed', he's a hero!" Sam declared. And we're going to free him! Jazz, _catch!"_

Sam threw the blaster over the Fenton parents' heads and Jazz caught it easily, pointing it at her parents with a scowl of her face.

"Go, guys." Jazz said. "I can handle this."

Sam and Tucker didn't need a second order. They raced to the stairs leading to the lab and took them down two at a time, hearing muffled screams as they grew near.

"It's Danny!" Sam cried, wrenching the door open, the sound of agonized screams echoing through the house.

"Danny!" Tucker yelled, running over to the steel table. He spotted the flowers and instantly gasped, grabbing the them and pulling away from the half-ghost.

Sam grasped Danny's sweaty, pale face and hushed him as Tucker all but inhaled the plants in one go, the ghost boy's screams dying down into gasps and coughs.

"We're here, you're going to be fine." Sam said softly, pushing his sweat-darkened hair away from his clammy face.

Tucker set himself to releasing the restraints and shutting down all programs designed to test ghosts in the Fenton's files, deleting all software related to ghosts and the reports on Danny's previous response to the electrical current of the ecto-generator.

"Sam, you guys...made it..." Danny's voice was hoarse and cracked mid sentence, making him cough and turn away from the black-haired girl. "Jazz?"

"She's fine, she's got your parents held up in you living room." Sam replied, to which Danny merely nodded. He didn't move although he was no longer restrained, but he could feel bile start to rise and he jerked his head to the side, away from Sam, and vomited.

Green splattered against the floor, a toxic, pulsating puddle of ectoplasm coated the cold ground in disturbing quantity. Sam rubbed Danny's back and looked at Tucker with concern, the dark skinned boy glancing with equal emotion at his friend.

"We need to get him out of here." Tucker said, turning to the stairs.

"And go where? The first place they'll look will be our homes, we'll get busted within a day!"

Danny heaved once more over the edge of the table and coughed up more ectoplasm, this time not as much but still enough to be concerning.

"No, we can't help him at our places." Tucker said.

"What are you suggesting?" Sam asked, her hands holding her crush steady as her eyes searched Tucker's for answers.

"Think about it, who's the one person that knows all about half ghosts, and has an obsession with Danny?"

Sam cocked her head to the side, bewildered. She heard Danny groan, and let go as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. His head spun and his chest ached, but he coherent, and he didn't like what his friend was suggesting.

"Not the _fruitloop!"_

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Sam, Danny and Tucker go into hiding with the only other halfa in existence. Danny is not happy.** _

* * *

 


	3. Fugitive

__**The Life We Fight For**  
**  
**

**Chapter 3: Fugitive  
**

Hot wiring the Specter Speeder while relaxed and focused took no time at all. Attempting to do so when your best friend was coating the floor of the vehicle in ectoplasm?

Much more difficult.

Tucker could barely get the vehicle going with how badly his hands were shaking. A quick glance at his female friend who was helping Danny into the back told him that he was not the only one tense about the situation. This was most definitely the most stressful 6 hours of the teen's lives.

And it would only get worse.

As Sam assisted her friend into a sitting position on the floor of the Speeder she heard shouting and a loud crash from upstairs. Sheer whipped around to look at Tucker and their eyes met for only a second before Sam was racing to shut the back doors and Tucker was opening the Portal.

In less time than the teen's thought possible they were surrounded by a swirling green atmosphere and tense silence. Danny's ragged breathing a grim reminder of just how serious the matter at hand was.

Less than a day ago, they were normal teenagers, living their unique lives. Now they had run away from their homes, betting on the slim chance that a man known for deception and greed would save the only true adversary to his evil plans.

It was insane, both kids knew it, but by the looks of their friend and the way his eyes were glassy and empty like a broken doll's, he didn't have much time to waste on weighting the pro's and con's, the 'what if's could wait.

Sam placed her hand on her half-ghost friend's shoulder and knelt beside him, keeping her voice low and soft.

"Danny?" She called, and dulled green eyes glanced up at her in recognition. A good sign. "We're in the ghost zone now, do you remember how to get to Plasmius' portal from here?"

Danny weakly looked up and stared out the windows for a moment, collecting his scattered thoughts and trying his best to fight the nausea and sharp pain on his chest. His body was trying desperately to recover the damaged cells inside him but the blood blossoms had dinner their job well. His insides were still throbbing with the lingering inhaled scent of them oozing from his lungs, and Danny could barely keep hold his form. Now that they were in the ghost zone there was a slim chance that he would change back into a human, but he could begin to look transparent and lose his legs in favor of a tail if he didn't concentrate on staying stable.

"It's...to the left, p-past Skulker's freaky island." Danny said, his head falling to his chest. He felt dizzy and weak, yet his heart felt like it was beating so fast it would explode from his chest. "Big football, can't miss...it."

Sam wasn't prepared for the sudden weight of her best friend falling on her shoulder. She quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders to steady him and shook him slightly, calling his name. The ghost boy was out cold. His face was sweating and when Sam reached up to touch his cheek, he was room temperature, which was warmer than he should have been. Danny was usually making her shiver if he stood too close to her in ghost form, now he was feeling more alive than ever.

"Tucker, Danny's unconscious!" Sam said, urgently patting Danny's face for some kind of recognition. His eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was dripping ectoplasm. Sam quickly steadied herself and leaned the boy on the wall before she was crushed.

"Calm down, panicking won't help him. There's gotta be a first aid kit around here somewhere, right?" Tucker suggested, pouring on more speed and searching their surrounding area for the landmarks Danny mentioned. He didn't even have his driver's license, yet he was completely able to control the hulking Speeder with no effort at all.

Sam had found a first aid kit and the first thing she did was take Danny's temperature, which was 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, when his normal temperature was anywhere from 95 to 97 degrees, or even lower if his ice powers were used more than usual.

As they neared the giant purple football of Vlad Plasmius' 'hidden' portal, Sam prepared her wrist ray in case the fruitloop didn't feel up to aiding them. Using a movable claw feature on the Speeder Tucker was able to remove the object blocking the door from their path and prepared to fire at it using the vehicle's weapons, when the doors began to open on their own!

Tucker didn't waste time to wonder and just sped inside the mansion's laboratory without hesitation. The first thing Tucker and Sam did was jump out and point their wrist rays at a floating, angry and confused looking Plasmius, who hovered in front of the hulking vehicle in stunned silence for several moments.

"What on earth are you brats doing here?!" The man snapped his fangs bared threateningly and his eyes glowing a deadly shade of crimson. He looked as evil as they come.

"Clearly you were expecting someone else?" Sam shot back, before she lowered her wrist ray. They hadn't come to fight. They had bigger problems than witty banter with the blue skinned halfa.

"As a matter of fact, I was. Just how did you two find-"

"We're not here to argue, we need your help," Tucker interrupted, and seeing Vlad frown he quickly continued. "Danny's hurt, bad. We're not doctors or experts on half-ghost sciencey-er- stuff, but we can't take him to a hospital, they'll rat him out before he's even admitted."

Vlad's frown turned from disgusted to curious to slightly concerned all at once during Tucker's impromptu explanation, his mind going in a thousand different directions. They had to be utterly desperate to come to him, the kids hated him with every fiber of their being, but they loved Daniel more. It also made him wonder, just how hurt was Daniel?

Plasmius knew he shouldn't even consider lending his aid to the misfits of Amity Nowhere since they would just turn on him in mere seconds, but another, larger part of him was thinking of the possibilities of having the child of his dreams in his home. Blackmail was definitely on his mind, but first...

"Where is he?" Vlad demanded evenly.

Sam turned and jogged to the back doors of the Specter Speeder, revealing her unconscious crush laying still on the ground, ectoplasm pooled around him from the numerous times he'd coughed it up during their journey. His form was slightly transparent and his legs were shifting in and out of form. His normally bright white aura was dimmed to a barely visible glow and he had stopped breathing out of habit, even though Danny usually did breathe in his ghost form although he did not need to.

Plasmius did not hesitate and quickly flew inside and carefully looked Daniel over for any external injuries that needed serious attention. He noticed several burns on the halfa's neck, and as gently as he could, unzipped the boys jumpsuit, revealing his abdomen.

Sam climbed inside the vehicle ahead of Tucker once Vlad had

settled beside her friend and witnessed him inspect Danny's neck. She had a sick feeling in her gut and when the older ghost revealed her best friend's chest, she nearly broke down in tears.

There were sharp, bolt-like scars criss crossing Danny's abdomen, arms and legs. The circuit board style lines were obviously from his parent's electric generator, and the injuries had been healed and re-healed over and over in the process of his torture until the injuries remained as scars.

Vlad's frown deepened and as he picked up the half-ghost from the ground he turned to the other teens with a serious expression.

"Who did this?"

Sam looked at Tucker, tears gathering in her eyes and her heart on the verge of a breakdown. They stepped out of the Speeder and as Vlad laid Danny down on a table and treated his outer injuries Tucker explained.

"His parents, they...found out, about Danny." Tucker said in a soft voice, Sam behind him biting her lip in a desperate attempt to stay calm. "They thought they could 'Cure him', make him human again. They were only down there for a few hours..."

"They tortured him." Sam hissed, now angry more than upset. "They're traitors. Jazz is holding them up at their place right now. They're going to jail for sure!"

Vlad couldn't resist rolling his eyes as he finished bandaging Daniel's burns that hadn't completely healed yet. He looked the girl in the eyes and then to Daniel, his tone tense as he spoke.

"They won't go to jail for hurting a ghost." He said. "If you go to the police with this, you'll most likely make matters worse."

Vlad turned away as the two kids grew solemn once again and carried Daniel to the door out of his lab, closing the portal and motioning for the teens to follow him upstairs.

"The best thing to do is remain here until Daniel is properly recovered," Vlad said as he led the two friends through a library and a dizzying set of hallways. "Once Daniel is stable props can be put in place for him to testify to a court as a human, and his father can be convicted easily."

"What makes you think it was only his dad?" Tucker asked, his tone venomous. "Oh, right, you've got a crush on his mom- totally gross by the way- but hate to tell you this dude, but she was definitely the head honcho leading the...expiraments."

Vlad grit his teeth and remained quiet, stopping at a door and phasing inside, leaving the teenagers to smack into it behind him.

Vlad had invested in a room for Daniel ever since the college reunion. It was in the same hallway as his own and the decor matched the boy's interests perfectly. The walls were a medium blue with posters of all of Daniel's favorite bands, including Dumpty Humpty, and a luxurious bed with a galaxy theme. If the lights were turned of you would have seen the thousands of stars glittering around the room in a perfect replica of some constellations and located next to the light switch was a twin switch to activate a 3d glowing solar system that pulled down from the ceiling into the middle of the room, displaying every planet in their solar system.

Also included in the room was a large area on the opposite side of the room as the bed where a large flat screen television was located with every electronic console or DVD a teenager could dream of, and to the side was a full bathroom complete with a hot tub. Even Sam was impressed, and she was an extremely spoiled girl.

"Well someone was prepared..." Sam said sarcastically as she rubbed her injured nose and let herself and Tucker into the bedroom. "Even my room isn't this big."

As Vlad settled Daniel amongst the soft pillows and cozy blankets hr couldn't help but wonder why the boy was still in his ghost form. Daniel usually changed back into a human upon losing most of his energy, or losing consciousness, yet he had remained in ghost form for the entire time he had been in Vlad's home. He wasn't dead, he still had a pulse. A weak one, since he was in ghost form, but it was still there nonetheless.

"There are rooms on either side of this one fully furnished for you. I'll ask that you stay out of my own bedroom down the hall across from here, and if you need anything, call one of my staff using the intercom on the wall beside the door." Vlad walked away from Danny and changed into Master's, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam questioned, suspicious.

"If you must know, I'm going to check on the cameras I have set in the Fenton's home to better understand the extent of Daniel's injuries." Vlad snapped, and the girl was silent. However he continued in a rather bored tone. "Also since you two were so noble as to leave Jasmine alone with a psychopathic father I'll be looking for her on the footage as well."

As the man left the room Sam and Tucker looked at each other with guilty expressions. They both were constantly arguing and teasing each other but they were still friends and understood each other and Danny like no one else could. Sam moved to sit beside Danny on the bed and take his hand in hers, Tucker coming beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders, a smile on his face.

"You know..." He said to her. "You never know when this might happen to him again, when he wakes up it might be a good time to tell him anything...important he should know should something happen? Just in case..."

Sam blushed and punched him lightly in the arm, muttering 'shut it' under her breath but smiling all the same. She felt a bit better having Tucker with her, knowing he wouldn't let the mood get to tense with him around.

* * *

Vlad Master's was not an extremely patient man. Yes, he waited for the love of his life for decades without fail, but his life was set on doing everything and anything humanly and ghostly possible for that dream of his to come true. His alliances helped him reach his ends using whatever means necessary, and it was done whenever and however he asked. Vlad Master's was not a man to be trifled with.

At the moment Vlad was practically seething with anger as he saw Jack and Maddie Fenton trapped in their bedroom with a very determined looking Jazz Fenton on the other side of the door. So she had kept them in mind after all. The girl was indeed more resourceful than she looked. Vlad sat down in front of his computer and set the footage of the family's basement-turned-lab into rewind, watching carefully. He began at the very moment Maddie and Jack brought Daniel to the lab and tied him to the examination table. Jack left the room and Maddie was alone watching Danny, until, to Vlad's surprise, a ghost he'd never seen before in dark clothing appeared and spoke to her. He increased the volume of the recording but could only make out a few words.

"The ghost boy will not have lasting effects from this... Serum?"

"Now it's your turn."

"Our alliance is over."

"Make sure he suffers."

Vlad watched the ghost leave in bewilderment. Maddie hated ghosts, why would she associate herself with one, let alone work with one? Vlad's mind was running in a dozen different places a minute, a dozen theories presented themselves but nothing for quite right. Maddie was smart, logical, level-headed. She did not ever ask a ghost for help, it was impossible!

Vlad's eyes snapped up as he heard Daniel's strained but clear voice through the recording and he stopped thinking to pay attention to his parents whom were setting up the electric generator to begin sending shockwaves through Danny's body. Vlad watched in horror as Maddie all but forced Jack to leave the room and began to electrocute her only son. Vlad could barely stand to watch as the footage dragged on, Daniel's voice growing more and more desperate and hopeless as time went on.

"You can't shock me!"

"S-stop it."

"Please, don't do this."

_"It hurts!"_

_"Mom!"_

Vlad paused the video, unable to continue. He'd seen enough, more than enough in his opinion. He had never seen Maddie that way before, and he was growing more suspicious of her behavior by the second, but there were more pressing matters at the moment.

His portal opened and Skulker emerged from the zone, landing with a metallic 'thunk' on the hard cold floor of the lab and looking at Plasmius with curious face.

"My apologies for my lateness, Plasmius, you said you wanted to speak to me?" Skulker said, watching Vlad stand and change to Plasmius and face him.

"Indeed I had called you because I required your services to recover some information for me, but a different matter has come up that I need your assistance with." Vlad replied, bring up an outer view of Fentonworks on his screen for Skulker to see.

"The welp's weird residence? What interest have you with that?"

"I want you to keep an eye on it." Vlad explained, showing the footage of Jazz. "You will remain unseen and stay near this house, telling me of anything and everything that happens. Who goes in, who goes out, what the girl does...and if her parents become violent, call me immediately."

Skulker frowned in confusion but nodded his head, leaving the lab as soon as possible. He could definitely tell that his employer was not to be messed with at the moment. He hated the well's guts, but he couldn't help the curiosity that nagged at him. His employer looked almost solemn, like he'd pulled on all-nighter on a hopeless project, or lost another battle to retrieve the halfa's mother. It was almost...sad.

Vlad didn't bother seeing the ghost off and instead turned his attention to the intercom on the wall. He called for the kitchen staff and his personal chef Leon answered immediately. Vlad housed a head butler, chef, two maids, and a chauffeur, and they all communicated throughout the castle through the intercom system. The castle was much too big to be yelling for every little thing.

"I need a late dinner brought up to my study, along with three more portions to the second floor." Vlad ordered.

"Yes sir, I'll get right on that."

Vlad vacated the room and flew to his personal study with a tired sigh. The sun was just beginning to set and Vlad was already completely drained. However he couldn't let himself give in to the tiredness, he still had to come up with a plan.

Daniel's parents would not simply allow the boy to be rid of them, Maddie especially. No, the annoying hunter in orange would pester him to no end demanding that Daniel bee returned to them. He couldn't hide the boy here forever, no doubt he'd run away to Amity and try to live on his own should Vlad try to keep him cooped up in the castle.

Vlad needed a solution, something that would solve the problem of Daniel being away from Amity Park. He couldn't go back to his parents, that much was certain. Vlad brought up the Amity Park newsletter on his laptop and scanned the articles, a single headline in bold standing out, and Vlad smirked evilly.

**'Amity Park's mayor retiring!'  
**

* * *

The first thing Danny Fenton noticed as he regained consciousness was how light he felt. Usually it was a hassle for him to wake up in the mornings because of the long, tiring patrols he had to do every night to keep Amity safe. This morning however, he felt oddly...comfortable.

Danny cracked his eyes open and instantly tensed. He wasn't at home, this wasn't his room. Why wasn't he at home? Where was he?

He jumped as he heard the soft sounds of breathing beside him and he groaned in slight pain. He wasn't hurting badly but his body felt sore everytime he moved even the tiniest bit. He turned his head and surprisingly had no trouble seeing in the dim light obscured by thick blinds on the windows of the room.

Sam lay with her top half on the bed he lay on and a chair pulled up to the because which she rested on. Her soft breathing indicated she was fast asleep. Danny reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, when he realized he was wearing familiar white gloves. He looked down at himself as he tossed the thick starry themed blankets off his body and gasped softly. He was still in ghost form!

He instantly brought forward the bright rings at his middle and slowly, painfully he returned to his human half. Unfortunately the light had awakened Sam and she instantly began to harass him with questions.

"Danny? Oh my God you're alive, are you okay? How badly are you hurt? Can you breathe? My God Danny you weren't _breathing_ -"

"Sam." Danny forced out. His body hurt like hell now that he wasn't in ghost form. "I'm okay. And you know it's okay for me not to have a pulse or do regular human things while I'm in ghost mode, right?"

Sam sighed in relief, gently putting a hand on his arm and her other pressed to her chest. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before she looked at him again, he lavender eyes full of emotion.

"I'm just glad your okay." She said quietly, before standing and walking to the blinds. She yawned softly as she opened them, hissing at the bright Wisconsin sunrays hitting her eyes and turned away, searching the room for her spider backpack she always had handy.

"Where are we? I remember you two freed me in the lab, but I don't remember anything after that..." Danny frowned as he tried to find answers but his brain came up blank.

"That's probably because you passed out genius." Sam told him, snatching her backpack from under the bed, not questioning how it had gotten there. "We're in Wisconsin. I think you can guess the rest."

Danny suppressed another unattractive groan and pushed himself up into a sitting position.  
He barely looked at the room and he was about ready to lose what little he still had in his stomach from the day before. Speaking of food...

"Where's Tucker?" Danny asked, swinging his legs over the side of the need and kicking them a bit to see just how healed they were.

"Don't you dare get up." Sam warned, ignoring the pout she recreceived in return. "Tucker is currently stalking the chef downstairs. He'd fallen in love with the guy's cooking, and the two hit it off and have been in the kitchen all morning."

Danny slowly stood from the bed, surprised that he didn't faint instantaneously, and took another quick look around the room. It was seriously his dream bedroom, but the fact that the fruitloop himself probably designed it just for him ruined it. Did the guy do anything else but obsess over his pretend evil family?

"I thought I said not to move. You're not fully recovered ghost boy." Sam said with a hand on her hip. Danny simply rolled his eyes at her. She raised an eyebrow and decided to up the ante. "Well of course if you want to take the chance of running into Plasmius-"

"I think I'll stay here" Danny said with a shudder. "It's not so bad anyways..."

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened and Danny facepalmed, his forehead imprinted with his hand's mark. There in the doorway stood none other than Vlad Masters himself.

"You _had_ to jinx it!" Danny hissed.

"Don't blame your bad luck on me!" Sam snapped, though there was a smile tugging on her lips at the irony.

"Do I want to know?" Vlad said sarcastically. "I'm here to escort you two to lunch, since you both seem to dislike the idea of the most important meal of the day."

Danny glared at the man while Sam simply rolled her eyes. She was worked about how little Danny had been eating lately, having no time to do so, and didn't want to argue with Vlad on this one. Besides, she was feeling hungry too.

"I'd rather not have to drag you downstairs, but if I have to, I will." Vlad threatened.

"Try it!" Danny challenged, only to be grabbed by the arm. Sam pulled him towards the door in annoyed silence and gestured for a stunned Vlad to lead the way.

"Not cool Sam." Danny muttered. Sam shook her head and let him go, sure that he was going to follow.

Vlad led them into a large dining room and gestured for them to take a seat. Danny blanched as he realized the only seats with silverware were one at the right and two left of the head of the table. He begrudgingly sat at Vlad's right and Sam sat across from him. A set of double doors on the far side of the room opened and a proud looking Tucker and a beaming chef emerged, both carrying plates.

"This guy's a genius!" Ticket said as he sat down with a plate full of meat, despite it being lunchtime. "He's like a living cookbook!"

Danny laughed softly at Sam's disgusted face and his best friend's poor manners. He instantly saw Vlad's eyes on him out of the corner of his own and looked down. He couldn't get comfortable in his archenemy's home, he had to get back to Amity Park. It was only a matter of time before the two tried to kill eachother!

After everyone began eating (Sam had been served a vegan dish at her request) Danny looked anywhere but Vlad, his eyes wandering through the decorated room that partially screamed 'rich' and only spoke when his friends asked him something or tried to start conversation. The tension in the room was so thick you could slice through it like butter. Finally Vlad finished and turned to the younger halfa, a serious expression on his face.

"Of you're quite done childishly avoiding me," Vlad began, smirking when he recurved a glare and a flash of green irises for his efforts. "I'm sure you understand that I cannot simply allow you to go back to your parents, now that you've let them in on your little secret."

Danny scowled and glanced at his friends who were being surprisingly quiet. Sam had a contemplative look on her face while Tucker simply looked uncomfortable.

"I'm not staying here." Danny said confidently. "My sister is still back there, I can't abandon her."

"Jasmine is constant watch just in case she is attacked by your idiotic father. The situation of the highest priority at the moment and the only one I am concerned with is yours." Vlad saw that Sam was about to butt in and continued without regards to the boy's crush. "As soon as we return to Amity Park I will deal with your friend's parents. They will return to their homes as if nothing ever happened, and you will be going to court to testify against your parents."

"I can't-"

"While your mother is still the woman I love," Vlas ignored the triple set of gags- "I have reason to believe she's being...controlled."

Danny's eyes lit up at that. He was feeling doubtful about his mother's attitude in the lab yet he wasn't sure how to put it to words. She seemed off, as if she were devoid of emotions, yet she had...enjoyed hurting him.

"What about Jazz?" Sam spoke up.

"I can arrange for her to be sent to a college and create an alibi for her, she was there for an extra credit program and did not get hurt since she was away. It will explain why only you are injured." Vlad replied.

Danny looked down on hands on his lap, his mind swirling with questions. It was obvious that Vlad wanted Danny to stay with him, but he was definitely not up for that. Buy where else could he stay? The Manson's hated his guts, and the Foley's weren't exactly in need of another mouth to feed...

Danny bit his lip, he was beginning to feel trapped. He squeezed his eyes shut. Vlad was still talking, but it sounded like he was underwater. He couldn't think, only single words were flashing at him from being his eyelids. Scared. Hopeless. Broken. Cold.

Vlad raised an eyebrow and halted in his speech as he saw Daniel curl up and shake uncontrollably, his hands pressed to his chest and his breathing shallow. The man jumped out of his chair as he felt the temperature in the room drop significantly and he pulled back Daniel's seat, kneeling in front of him and calling his name. The boy looked like he was in a full-fledged attack, the way he was whimpering in fear and barely breathing enough to stay conscious.

"What's wrong with him?!" Sam cried, standing and looking on in fear. Danny pressed his hands over his ears and leaned forwar towards the ground. All he could feel was intense cold and despair in his heart, it felt like he was being eaten alive from the inside.

"Dude!" Tucker exclaimed, actually dropping his forkful of meat to the table.

"Daniel, Daniel look at me, _breathe!"_ Vlad commanded, grabbing the boy's wrists and pulling them away from his head. Danny kept his head down. "Daniel open your eyes, you're safe, everything is alright."

Danny could barely hear Vlad, but he felt slightly better hearing the words. He definitely would have preferred someone else saying them, but he couldn't deny they were calming him bit by bit. He opened his eyes, which were glowing an icy blue, and glanced around the room, wincing when he saw the ice creeping up the walls and his friend's worried faces.

"Don't look at them, look at me." Vlad said, sensing Danny start to panic again. He released the boy's wrist and pulled his chin towards him, forcing Danny to look him in the eye. "Focus on breathing, and calm down."

"Maybe hot chocolate will help." Tucker suggested, letting out a help as Sam nudged him roughly in the ribs.

"Actually, that might make the process a bit easier..." Vlad commented, and Sam instantly rushed through the double doors, eager to not feel useless. Tucker ran after her, and Danny was left alone with his enemy.

As the two teens entered the enormous kitchen and set about doing their task (with the chef watching them amusedly) Sam pulled out her cellphone, switching it on. Over a hundred calls from her parents were swiftly ignored and she called Jazz's number, setting the phone to her ear.

_"Sam? Oh my God, you guys are okay right? Where's Danny?"_

"Hey Jazz, we're okay, Danny's still not doing that great, but he's not going to die or anything." Sam replied, watching as Tucker poured a nauseatingly large amount of cocoa into the mug.

_"Thank goodness. Nothing's too bad on this side either. My..former parents are in their room, I've locked up their first weapons, and I've got the police on speed dial if they try anything."_

"Great, but try not to all the cops unless you absolutely have to. Vlad's actually got a plan to get them in jail and it requires you to be far away from there." Sam replied.

_"I don't really get it, but I trust you. By the way...there's something a bit, I don't know, off about my mom. She's kinda been weird lately. She's been muttering to herself, all about Danny and how she couldn't wait to see him again." Jazz took a shuddered breath. "Except it's definitely more creepy than sweet. There's something wrong with her Sam, I know it."_

Sam frowned, growing tense. "Vlad said something similar to that..."

_"What?"_

"Nothing." Sam saw Tucker begin to pour mini marshmallows into the mug and instantly frowned. "I'll look into it. In the meantime, just hang tight while we figure this out. I'll keep in touch, bye!"

* * *

"You did that on purpose." Danny muttered, pulling as far away from Vlad as possible. He was much more calm now, but he was still shaking slightly and struggling to reel in his ice powers.

"Indeed I did." Vlad replied, staying in front of Danny despite his obvious discomfort with the man's closeness now that he wasn't hyperventilating. "Now would you care to tell me what that was all about?"

Danny blushed, suddenly feeling like a child. How could he let himself give in to his emotions like that? He felt humiliated, this was his archenemy, of all people! Not to mention he'd practically turned the dining him into an ice rink!

"You're vulnerable because you're still recovering. I think it might be better to stay here for a bit longer than I thought..." Vlad said.

"No!" Danny protested. "I don't know what happened, okay? It's never happened before. I just felt...stressed and my powers kinda, um, took over."

Danny felt stupid talking to Vlad about something so childish as a panic attack. He was almost fifteen for fudge sake! Danny lowered his legs from the chair and looked away from Vlad's critical gaze. He normally would be angry and shouting at the man to back off, but he was so shaken up he just wanted to go back upstairs and stay in his creepy bedroom until Vlad was ready to put his 'genius' plan into action.

"That's way too many marshmallows!" Sam's voice rang out as the two teenagers reentered the room.

"You're nuts, marshmallows are awesome!"

Daniel let a small smile escape as his friend's bickered and completely forgot about Vlad. The man stood up and decided to silently leave the room. He had to reevaluate some things.

"You okay now Danny?" Sam said as he took the mug of hot chocolate from Tucker.

"Yeah dude you almost turned us into popsi- _ow!"_

Danny giggled as Sam stomped unceremoniously on her friend's foot and rolled her eyes. Danny shook his head, as if to shake off the bad emotions and replied,

"I'm fine, I'll be even better once I'm fully recovered and we get to Amity."

"Yeah, Vlad seemed like he was coming to Amity for a while, you don't think he's gonna move there...right?" Tucker said uncertainly.

"It makes sense, he's going to help us prosecute your parents, isn't he?" Sam said.

Danny felt conflicted about going to court against his parents. There was a part of him that still loved them dearly, but a larger part that was all but terrified of them. He took a sip of his hot chocolate to avoid answering and was glad when Sam suggested they explore the castle. They were going to be here a while, so might as well get to know the place.

Danny followed after his friends -who were currently arguing about a hamburger vs veggie burger- and began to relax. He wasn't alone, his friend's would never abandon him. They've known each other since forever, and Danny was dead set on keeping it that way, no mater what.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Danny discovers the alarming truth about his injuries, and Vlad heads out to the Fenton's to witness the situation for himself.  
** _

* * *

 


	4. Interrogation

The Life We Fight For

Chapter 4: Interrogation

The three friends took the whole morning of the next day exploring the medieval style castle, running through rooms full of old armor and weaponry dating back to the Dark Ages, and more modern places like a fully operational gym, theater, indoor and outdoor pool, and, Danny's favorite, an observatory on the top floor. Even Sam was amazed at the ancient artifacts and decked out rooms that the old home of the Dairy King housed.

Danny had been on edge as soon as Vlad had announced at breakfast he would be gone for most of the day. He didn't trust the half-ghost one bit. He may have offered to help him out, but he still wasn't sure whether or not he was willing to go along with the plan Vlad had set out.

More than anything Danny was clinging to the slim hope that something paranormal was behind all of this, but the idea was a weak one. All he had to go on was Vlad's vague comment and his own experience with his parent's weird behavior. The thought that a ghost he was unaware of might be in the picture was both alarming and comforting. Sadly that was not the only thing plaguing the young halfa's mind.

To Danny's dismay the crisscross of electricity-induced scars along most of his body were still slightly visible in his human form, and for once, he was glad that Vlad had his room pre-prepared for his arrival. He had taken a long shower that morning, trying his best to be rid of the wounds but nothing could be done. He'd put on a black, long sleeved collared shirt (the fruitloop just didn't understand the meaning of the word 'casual') and denim pants, deciding to keep his beloved red and white sneakers for some familiarity.

It was close to lunchtime when the trio decided that their curiosity had been satisfied, and Danny, Sam and Tucker all headed to the dining room to eat and once again contact Danny's sister for an update.

Danny was anything but excited about hearing his sister's voice. He missed her of course and wanted nothing more than for her to be safe, but he didn't want to hear anything having to do with his parents. He could barely think about them without shivers of anxiety running down his spine!/p

As Danny followed his friends to the large game room carrying a large tray of various sandwiches and sat down beside them on a bean bag he contemplated making up an excuse to leave the room. No doubt Jazz would be upset and ask for him though, and he'd be dragged kicking and screaming right back by an annoyed Sam in no time. The control she had over him was shocking at best./p

"I'm going to call her now, she'll want to hear you first, Danny." Sam said, setting the phone to speaker mode and placing it on the coffee table in front of them.

It rang only three times before Jazz's voice was heard.

"Hey Sam, I'm glad you called, I was getting worried."

Danny hesitated for a moment and Sam nudged him a bit, gesturing to the device between them. Tucker raised a concerned eyebrow at him while stuffing his face with sandwiches and Danny merely swallowed his nervousness and looked at the far wall, imagining his sister was here with him.

"Sam?"

"Jazz, it's me." Danny said, not once looking at the phone.

"Danny?" Her voice echoed in relief. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you? Oh what am I saying of course they did- but you're recovered right? Ghosts heal fast don't they? I think I read-"

"Whoa!" Danny said with a smile. At least his sister was acting normal, well, normal for her anyway. "I'm okay Jazz, really. I'm more concerned about you right now. I promise I'm coming back as soon as I can, but hopefully you'll be long gone before then."

"What do you mean 'long gone'? And Danny you can't come back here, it's dangerous! Maddie, she's gone nuts!"

"The three friends looked at each other in confused nervousness before Sam replied to Jazz,

"What exactly is happening?" She asked the older girl.

"It's a little hard to explain... It's almost as if she's become obsessed with getting Danny back, to the point where she's constantly talking to herself, saying how she'll capture him again, tie him down and cut him open, even-"

"So," Tucker interrupted, seeing his best friend start to grow pale. "What about Mr. F? No change in personality at all? No weird behavior from the big guy?"

"No, he's been pretty normal, he tries to calm down Maddie mostly, other than that he's given up on getting out."

"Vlad's gotta be right." Danny said quietly. "Mom is being...controlled somehow, I know it."

Sam and Tucker looked at each other in sadness. They all knew just how slim the chances were that a scientist such as Maddie Fenton could be so easily overshadowed.

"She hurt you Danny! There's no excuse for that!" Jazz's voice proclaimed through the speakers. "You've got to go through with whatever plan you've got to get these guy's where they belong, in prison."

Danny's eyes suddenly narrowed and he glared at the phone on the table. The temperature in the room plummeted and the two other people in the room started to shiver uncontrollably. There was a slowly growing pain in Danny's chest but he ignored it in favor of focusing his attention on his sister instead.

"How can you say that so easily?" Danny snapped, his eyes glowing an icy blue and the scars along his body glowing the same color, so bright they were visible beneath his clothes. "They are our parents Jazz! I can't just betray them like that!"

Sam gripped Danny's arm tightly when she saw that he was about to stand. Tucker followed her lead and together they kept the ghost boy rooted to the brightly colored bean bag, lest he freeze the whole castle with his pure anger.

"What happens when they try to do this again? There's no ghost to blame here Danny, it's obvious they want to kill you!"

"That's not true!" Danny shouted, bright blue rings forming around his waist. His heart was swirling with so many emotions his body was resulting to defense mode! Danny was so confused and upset the walls were beginning to frost over from the cold and Sam was beginning to shiver in her sleeveless top, gripping onto Danny even tighter.

As the rings parted and began to transform him, Danny felt a jolt of intense pain shoot down from his chest to his toes, and he collapsed with a gasp of shock. The rings froze in place and his chest burned with throbbing pulses of agonizing waves of pain and Danny was forced to drop the transformation.

Now he was more afraid than angry, he completely forgot why he was transforming in the first place. Going ghost had never hurt him before, and certainly not to _this_ degree!

"Danny? What was that? What's going on?!"

"S-shut up...!" Danny forced out, his eyes focused on the phone.

"Why won't you let anyone help you? Quit being such a brat!"

Danny growled in rage and his hands glowed, preparing to blast the annoying voice away in one strike, when Sam spoke up.

"Enough,  both of you!" she yelled over the swirling icy wind gathering around them. "Jazz, we'll keep in contact. For now, just lay low until we get everything figured out."

Tucker took the liberty of ending the call while Sam stayed by her other friend's side, watching with concern clearly written on her face as he deflated, completely devoid of energy.

""What happened dude?" Tucker asked, breaking the silence. "It's like your powers just...quit."

Danny couldn't bring himself to answer verbally and simply shrugged. He was unsure of everything nowadays, and it was driving him up the wall. The plan, his parents, his injuries, Vlad... the stress would kill him before his physical problems could.

Although, with this new development now he wasn't so sure.

* * *

Vlad had been finishing up his last stack of paperwork when he received a call from his butler Godfrey who he'd placed in charge of the teens' welfare. He had been informed of a sudden and large spike in ecto energy, and that his butler was concerned about the halfa's health./p

Vlad flew home as quickly as he could, only stopping to tell his driver to go home without him. It took him almost ten minutes to reach his home, a car ride that would have taken half an hour at least would most definitely not suffice.

As Vlad changed to Masters and entered his home his butler was the first to greet him at the front door.

"Afternoon sir, welcome home." said the butler, John Godfrey. He was a ghost, however he preferred to masquerade as a human for the sake of the living maids who came to the castle twice a week to assist in keeping the enormous place clean. Godfrey was an old soul and looked well over the age of 60 with deep blue gray eyes and white, aged hair.

"Indeed," Vlad replied, allowing the butler to shut the door behind him. "I see my home is still standing, so I assume the spike of ecto energy has dispersed?"

"Well, not quite." Godfrey led his employer to the lab where he had been watching the video feed of the children exploring the manor, up until the camera was frozen and no longer functioned. "If you'll watch here, I think you'll find the boy has quite the problem at the moment."

Vlad's eyes never left the screen as Godfrey showed him the moments in which Daniel had nearly lost control of his powers, and subsequently failed to transform. Vlad eyed the collapsed boy on the ground up until the camera fizzled and broke, his mind swirling with confusion.

"I had suspected that a drop in control was possible with the injuries the boy had sustained..." Vlad's eyebrows creased in thought. "But perhaps I don't yet know the extent of the damage...if only it wasn't completely impossible to get Daniel to agree to anything, let alone an examination."

The old butler smiled as he watched Vlad stare at the screen, both contemplating and irritated at the same time. He stepped forward and brought up the live feed of the teens watching a movie in the theater, and zoomed in. Danny was seated on the end of the trio by Tucker, who held a giant bag of popcorn.

When Vlad inspected the three teens closer, he noticed that one specific half-ghost happened to be slightly shivering. Vlad frowned.

"Maybe if you approached the boy with a bit of...care, he would respond a bit better." Godfrey said.

"Are you suggesting that I be  nice to the hero obsessed brat?" Vlad snapped, pulling away and pretending to straighten his crisp suit. "Impossible."

The butler simply bowed respectfully as the billionaire exited the room and ascended the stairs to the main floor of the house. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he shut down the computer and proceeded to the kitchen to check in with the chef.

Meanwhile Vlad was scowling as he sat in his desk chair, having retreated there to avoid the possibility of running into the most recent occupants of his castle.

On the one hand, Vlad was sure that the occurrence was an opportunity for the billionaire to get Daniel at his side, but with the young halfa's friends around, they would never let Vlad get close to him. He would have to use clever tactics to ensure Daniel remained with him after the courts decided the boy's incompetent father and less-than-sane mother were unfit for guardianship. Jasmine could easily attend the school of her dreams without the need for a scholarship, though she was indeed smart, and Daniel would train under him and grow into his perfect, evil little minion.

The fantasy was too perfect to picture and Vlad sighed as he looked down at the paperwork regarding Amity Park's election. Maddie, his college sweetheart, was not in the picture. With the thought of her actions toward Daniel and the figure Vlad had seen in the video feed he had questions desperate for answers, and no way to get them.

"Unless..." Vlad stood and eyed the scattered documents adorning his desk. "I must visit Amity to completely become a candidate for mayor anyway, might as well visit some old friends as well."

However, Vlad hesitated at the thought of leaving Daniel in the castle once again. The boy would have to be taken care of first. Vlad had to find out the cause of the strange drop in Daniel's energy in order to completely allow him to recover.

Vlad sighed, thinking back to the words of wisdom Godfrey had said down in the lab. Daniel barely tolerated being in the same room with Vlad let alone allowing him to help. But maybe, if Vlad's attitude could change, and Daniel's friend's weren't nearby...

His mind made up, Vlad left his study and walked to the upstairs theater the adolescents had last been occupying. It was not long on his journey that he heard the voices of the trio and turned a corner to see them just exiting the room and laughing, completely focused on each other.

Danny was still slightly shaking but it was less noticeable than it had been earlier. Vlad waited a moment and when the kids didn't notice him, he cleared his throat and the hallway was silent.

As usual Danny was quick to shoot Vlad a glare, but his icy blue eyes faltered when he was met not with the familiar tense and rage-filled red eyes he was accustomed to, but calm, relaxed blue eyes that looked at him with an emotion Danny couldn't identify.

"Well, I see you all are enjoying the castle, find anything interesting?" Vlad asked, trying his very best to keep his tone light enough to be pleasant. He could act like a saint for the media but once presented with three rebellious teens he was losing all control.

"Uh, I guess the old dungeons were cool...?" Tucker answered when his friends remained silent. Sam was looking at Vlad like a puzzle she was trying to solve, and Danny was standing as still as he possibly could while shaking to seem even slightly intimidating.

"Excellent," Vlad couldn't resist a small drop of sarcasm there. "Now, Daniel, I need to speak with you. Alone preferably."

Danny's eyes immediately became suspicious and he crossed his arms over his chest. Did Vlad think he had a death wish? He was a little clueless at times, but he understood a trap when he saw one.

"Hm, let me think about that..." Danny pretended to mull it over. "How about 'no'?"

Vlad could feel his blood start to boil at the brat's defiance. He was about ready to strangle the boy! Vlad stepped forward and instantly both Danny and his friends jumped into battle stances. Vlad sighed and swiped a hand down his face. Now was not the time to rile the child up, he looked about ready to feint!

"Danny," Vlad said, gritting his teeth but allowing a softer tone to slip through into his words. "I promise I'm not going to try anything while you're here. I only wish to talk to you for a bit."

The halfa frowned at the sincere tone of voice and stayed silent. Sam was looking at him to respond and Tucker was still staying close by just in case Plasmius tried anything. Danny shivered, a hot wave of energy shuddering through him. He felt like he was intensely cold and super hot at the same time, and he didn't think he could put up much of a fight with Plasmius even if he was at one hundred percent. Lowering his stance, Danny looked to the side to avoid Sam's confused stare.

"Fine." Danny said, and Vlad nodded in relief. The older man was counting his lucky stars that Daniel had actually listened, instead of blasted him outright, which would have only made his condition worse.

"Just so you know," Sam cut in before the two could walk away. "If Danny doesn't appear before dinner I'm blowing this castle to pebbles."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Of course," he said casually, leading Daniel to his study.

Once there, Vlad simply stood beside his desk while Daniel looked around the heavily decorated room distractedly. He was unsure how well Daniel would listen to what he had to say, but he couldn't let the halfa go in his state, a dead hero was not in his future family fantasy.

"Now," Vlad said clearly, and Danny finally looked him in the eye. "I know Maddie tortured you with ecto-energy based electricity, but I need you to tell me everything she did exactly, no exceptions."

Danny couldn't help but suppress a shiver, and this time it wasn't from pain. The memories were rooted in his mind, replaying like a broken record over and over again, in his dreams, and whenever he closed his eyes. His mother and father standing over him with grins on their faces... his own screams...

"This is extremely important." Vlad continued, seeing Danny start to lose it. "I only want to help you, I believe that something your parents did to you had caused your core to become damaged."

"My core? But she didn't...dissect me or anything." Danny said, his voice soft. It was all he could do to keep looking Vlad in the eye.

"It's possible your core has been either weakened by electricity or direct contact, but if I'm wrong and I try to fix it, it could be disastrous."

Vlad kept his tone serious but Daniel still seemed confused. He closed his eyes for a moment and when they opened he appeared to be unfocused, but after a few moments Vlad saw realization dawn on the boy's face and he looked at Vlad, a sincerely worried expression on his features.

"What if it...melted?" Danny questioned, completely serious.

"Well I suppose that would cause your core to fluctuate in order to compensate for the loss of strength to energize and control your powers, you're core could not be completely melted, our regenerative genes replace the cells too quickly." Vlad paused for a moment in thought. "However, if the element of the core is opposite the one used to damage it, it could slow the healing process..."

"I understood none of that, by the way." Danny said, rolling his eyes. "But it sounds bad."

Vlad crossed his arms and stood up straight, flaunting his dominant height. He wasn't playing 'nice' any longer. He now had an idea of what was plaguing Daniel, and if he was right then the boy was in danger.

"How exactly did your core get injured with heat?" Vlad wondered.

Danny opened his mouth but snapped it shut, the memories coming forward making him nauseous. He swallowed and looked at the billionaires shoes. He wouldn't, no, he  couldn't tell Vlad.

"It doesn't matter," Danny snapped, standing as tall as he could. He barely reached Vlad's chest... "Besides, it will heal eventually right? I just have to avoid using my powers."

"Absolutely  not ." Vlad growled, his patience thrown out the window. "Your core has no control over your ice powers, they've already begun to affect your human half."

Vlad gestured to Danny's continuous shivering and received a scowl in return. Danny resisted the urge to wrap his arms around himself and replied with a sour tone,

"I'm fine."

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you Daniel? Your ghost half will be on fire while your human half catches frostbite, you will be in a constant state of pain and discomfort unless you let me fix this." Vlad stared directly into Danny's crystal blue eyes, desperately trying to convey his message to the stubborn teen.

"You? Fix it?" Danny chuckled. "All you do is ruin everything! You can't help me."

"Oh really?" Vlad sneered, changing into Plasmius. "I'm finished trying to do this the easy way Daniel. We only have oh so much time before your friends lay waste to my property should you miss dinner, and although you may not believe me, I have other things to do besides babysit you."

Before Danny could shout a comeback Vlad teleported behind him and grabbed him around the waist. He turned them both intangible and flew through the floors into his secret lab, dragging Danny toward a chair and pushing him down on it.

Danny tried to go ghost but the rings would blink out of existence if he must concentration for even a second. Once Vlad let him go he focused on transforming, ignoring the rush of heat that flowed uncomfortably through his veins, and slowly changed into Phantom.

"The first thing to do is cool you down, you're already sweating," Vlad said, mostly to himself.

Danny's vision was unfocused and blurry, but he could feel Vlad drop a bag of ice on his lap and he jumped at the sudden jolt of cold. Danny did not need to be told to hold it to his chest, which was burning the most, and keep it there to cool down his ghost core. Vlad meanwhile had grabbed a briefcase he kept in the lab and opened it on a counter close to Danny. The young halfa looked over the man's shoulder and saw that there were five syringes filled with a familiar glowing green substance.

"No way," Danny instantly protested. "I may not be able to put up a good fight right now, but I'm not just going to let you stick me with that."

Vlad rolled his eyes and faced Danny, disinfectant, cotton swabs and the syringes laid out in front of Danny like weapons. "It is a purified version of ectoplasm, it will have no bad reaction with your DNA, I've tried it myself." Vlad grabbed one of Daniel's wrists and rolled up his jumpsuit's sleeve. "It will speed up the healing process and act almost like energy drink directly delivered to your body."

"Sounds reeaally interesting, but how long will it take for my core to heal?" Danny asked.

As Vlad quickly swiped the area clean and pierced Danny skin quickly and professionally, he held Danny still with the other hand and answered,

"If you take one of these a day, most likely 2 weeks at best," Vlad answered. "Though it might heal faster or slower, it is impossibly to tell this early."

Danny flinched when he felt the prick of his skin but it was over quickly and soon Vlad was allowing him to roll his sleeve back down. Danny couldn't help but notice the energy he felt surge through his veins immediately, but his mood was overshadowing the feeling.

"Two  weeks ?" he repeated. "I won't be able to use my powers at all for that whole time?"

"Not necessarily, you will simply have to be extremely careful with how often and how long you do so." Vlad explained, returning the case to its drawer and standing in front of Daniel, who had stood, feeling small with Vlad towering over him. "However for now I believe it would be best for you to remain in your ghost form, it will be easier to tell if the injection worked that way."

Danny merely nodded, only half understanding what the man was saying. His eyes had wandered to the ghost portal on the far wall and he'd dropped the bag of ice to the floor. It was bad enough he was in a lab with his archenemy, but the fact that the place looked very much like the laboratory his parents had at home was beginning to make him nervous.

"You never did answer my question, did you?" Vlad said, and Danny's eyes jumped back to his. "What could Maddie have possibly done to cause this much damage?"

Danny clenched his hands into fists as his eyes were no longer looking at Vlad Masters, but his mom, dropping dark red flowers beside him with an annoyed expression pointed toward him. Danny blinked rapidly and bit his lip, his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

Vlad noticed the signs of panic and immediately crushed his curiosity down in favor of pride. Daniel wasn't shaking like a leaf any longer, the ectoplasm shot must have worked to some extent.

"Don't you dare start choking again," Vlad warned when Danny only seemed to grow more uncomfortable. "You can keep your oh-so-terrible secret to yourself, for now. Go rejoin you're friends, I will not be joining you for dinner."

Danny took a deep breath and calmed down, glad Vlad hadn't decided to beat the answer out of him, though in his state he guessed Vlad thought he was too pitiful to attack. He straightened up and attempted to float. He was a little wobbly, but he could still fly.

"Can't say I'm disappointed about that, V-man." Danny mocked, flying out of the room.

Vlad huffed in annoyance and shoved the rest of his medical supplies to the side of the table, and powering up his computer. He quickly brought up the live feed of the Fenton's home and searched the cameras for what he was looking for.

The half ghost smirked when he found the ghost portal was open and fully functioning. The foolish girl, she was most likely too scared to go near it. Vlad turned towards his own portal and took a small remote shaped device from the table. He pressed a button and the device rang like a cellphone.

The communicators were Vlad's own inventions, able to be used even when in different dimensions, such as the ghost zone. Vlad heard Skulker's voice on the other end just as he began to fly through the Ghost Zone.

"Plasmius, how may I be of service?"

"I am going to Amity Park to see the situation for myself, give me your report." Vlad said.

"The girl you mentioned is perfectly fine, in fact she's a bit scary when she really wants to be." Said Skulker. "The orange hunter, he is no threat, the woman though, she's downright dangerous."

"Explain."

"The first time I entered the room-invisible of course- it was as if she knew I was there, she shouted so loud my suit's speakers almost went out."

"What exactly did she say?" Vlad asked, beginning to grow worried. If there was truly such a ghost that could control another being to such magnitude, Vlad needed all the information he could get."

"She was telling something about me knowing where the welp was, and how she wouldn't rest until he was dead, she mentioned something about flowers too, I can't remember what it was though."

"That'll do, you may leave your post for now, however stay close in case I need you." Vlad ordered, disconnecting the line. "Maddie, this ghost, their 'deal', and Daniel... this doesn't make sense..."

For as long as Vlad had known her, Maddie Fenton had been headstrong, stubborn, and loyal at all times. She would never, not in a million years, allow a ghost to gain control over her so easily! But Vlad was so unsure about just what was going on he wasn't sure what he was supposed to think.

Plasmius approached the desired portal and wasted no time contemplating his decision any longer. He went invisible and flew inside.

Had to see Maddie for himself.

Vlad paused in surprise at the vast amounts of ectoplasm and blood that remained painted across the room, like a scene directly from a horror movie. Vlad covered his mouth and nose and flew away from the lab, to the living room, catching sight of Jasmine sitting on the couch, book in hand and

ghost weapons surrounding her.

"I'm not totally incompetent you know," she said without looking up. "Our house has sensors to let me know when a ghost is around, they just thought it was broken all this time, what with Danny living here."

Vlad dropped his invisibility and landed in front of her.

"Given that you aren't aiming one of those guns at me, I can assume you are aware Daniel is under my care at the moment?" Vlad said, and Jazz did look away from her book this time, sighing slightly.

"Of course I do, and just so you know, I'm not happy about it." she replied. "But I can't help Danny here, I can only buy him time. Something has to be done soon or..."

"They'll go after him again."

Jazz nodded. She marked her place in her psychology book and set it aside, standing.

"I know why your here. The love of your life, hurting the son of your dreams? You must be curious." Jazz said with a disgusted face. "Follow me, quietly."

Jazz led Vlad up the stairs to her parents room, gesturing to the door. She didn't even want to see them, she merely wanted Danny far away from them, and if that meant acting as a warden for her own parents, so be it.

Vlad stared at the door for a few moments before phasing inside, once again invisible. He saw Jack's hulkish figure seated on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He looked defeated, and exhausted. Vlad turned and finally saw her. Maddie was bent over a desk in the far corner, scribbling down something Vlad couldn't identify on a piece of paper.

As Vlad grew near she seemed to tense. Vlad ignored this and looked over her shoulder. There were scattered papers filled with data she'd collected. They looked familiar to Vlad, and he soon realized they were scribbles of Daniel's physical makeup, his genes, drawings replicating the different cells in his human and ghost form...

She was  studying him.

Maddie gasped suddenly and whirled around, knocking down the desk chair and standing to her feet. Jack stared worriedly at her, standing up as well.

"Maddie? What's wrong?" Jack said.

"You...you know where he is, don't you?" she said, looking straight into Vlad's invisible red eyes. "You sent that other ghost here, I know it! You have my son!"

"Maddie!" Jack grabbed her as she made to lunge for Plasmius. He held her tight enough to keep her still, but her words plunged into Vlad like a knife.

"Don't you dare hide him from me!" she screamed, writhing. "I'll fix him! I'll make him my perfect little boy again! I swear it, even if I have to tear him apart!"

Vlad backed away as Jack began to attempt to calm her, beyond confused and concerned. He quickly phased out of the room and found Jasmine staring at the door in disgust while leaning against the wall.

"How long has she been like this?" Vlad questioned, landing beside her and speaking softly. Jazz walked back towards the stairs and Vlad followed.

"Ever since Danny was with them in the lab, she has been crazy about finding him. She knows he's not dead, probably because she hadnt hurt him that bad, wanting to  experament some more when Sam and Tucker came."

Jazz went as far as the door leading to the lab before she stopped.

"Plasmius." she said seriously. "You're Danny's only option right now, even though I hate your guts...he needs you. Don't screw up."

Vlad smirked and bowed in the air in front of her.

"I'll do my best, you shall see your dear brother again soon." Vlad promised.

She seemed to relax a bit and let him to return to her post, watching and listening to her parents insanity.

Vlad left the house and flew high into the air, overlooking Amity Park. He spotted City Hall in the distance and his smile only grew.

"Now, for the first part of my plan to be set in motion..."   
  


* * *

Next Chapter: Vlad becomes an official candidate for Amity Park's mayor, and Danny attempts to convince him to win honestly.  


* * *

 


	5. Politics

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 5: Politics**

Ice blue eyes snapped open, frantic and confused _._ There was a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of despair that wouldn't go away. He felt cold, hard metal underneath him, but he didn't look down. Somehow, he knew he couldn't bear to do so.

'Where am I?' Danny thought in a bewildered tone. He couldn't bring himself to break the silence that reigned in the fuzziness that was his vision of the room he occupied. 'Where is everyone?'

His eyes changed to a vibrant green and his hair to snow white. He didn't feel himself change, yet somehow it felt out of his control. He slowly began to look around and his vision started to clear. He blinked a few times and when he opened his eyes with crystal clear clarity, he wanted to disappear on the spot.

It was all just as he'd left it. Blood and ectoplasm stained the floor, a generator hummed somewhere behind him, the cuffs attached to the table lay useless beside him. Danny bolted into the air, breathing hard. His mind was failing to process the scene, the reality that was striking at him full force and pulling his heart down into its depths. He shouldn't be here, he _couldn't_ be here.

Danny flew intangibly through the ceiling at top speed, his heart hammering in his chest, and his core almost burning him with sharp, freezing energy. He landed in the kitchen, and there in the chair seated calmly at the table, was his sister.

Her eyes were cast downward and her hair was a tangled mess. There were countless empty cups of coffee and pages of God-knows-what scattered about the table while she sat lifeless in the midst of it all.

'Jazz?' Danny still couldn't speak, his throat felt tight and numb all at once. He had no problem hearing Jazz speak however.

"Leave." She said, her voice monotone. "If you had only died the first time, they would have been happy. I'll never forgive you."

Danny took a step toward her and she glared at him through her dirty and unwashed hair. He froze and suddenly it felt as if he was paralyzed.

"If you were dead, we'd be a happy family again!" Jazz exclaimed. Danny's adrenaline levels skyrocketed and he flew through the kitchen away from her, her words piercing into his chest like a thousand sharp knives.

Danny stopped in the living room, the light from the TV and his own ghostly aura the only thing preventing the darkness from swallowing him up.

"There you are, sweetie."

Danny looked up and saw his mother and father, as normal as ever. Unlike Jazz, they seemed perfectly fine, they even smiled at him. Jack was holding a large plate of fudge, and Maddie held a scrapbook of their family's memories.

"Mom...Dad..." Danny choked out. He felt nauseated looking at their wide smiles and loving stares. It wasn't right, he was in his ghost form!

"You know, son," Jack's voice boomed. "We could eat all the fudge we want together if you were only human." Jack stepped toward him and Danny jumped into the air, arms up in defense. He was human, but he was ghost too. He was a halfa, there was no way he could be anything else. Danny loved his human friends, but his powers and his ghost allies were part of his life too, there was no way he could give either half of himself away.

"I-I can't..."

"If you weren't such a horrible mistake, you could have stayed my precious baby boy," Maddie cut in, her purple colored eyes staring directly at him. "If you were dead, we wouldn't have to worry about that would we?"

"I don't want to die, and I don't want to become human." Danny whispered. "This isn't right, this isn't you..."

_"Right you are, my little mistake."_

Danny blinked and suddenly he was no longer in his home, but floating in a void. Half of him was in his ghost form, the other half of his body was in his human form. He stared into the endless waves of black and shuddered. Feeling the darkness sweep over him in a stabbing feeling of helplessness and doom.

"What...?" Danny's voice was getting quieter by the second, he could barely hear himself over the ringing in his ears, and the voice that penetrated his mind like a parasitic virus,

 _"We were so close, so very close to bringing you to perfection."_ The voice said, in a mockingly sorrowful voice. _"It's no matter though, because you've led me to another imperfect creature haven't you?"_

Danny's eyes began to close and he felt himself start to go numb, his vision blurring with the voice's parting words.

 _"You both will reach the perfection that is the void of death."_ it said smugly. _"One way, or another."_

Danny closed his eyes and went rigid as a piercing scream of his name called out from the darkness.

_"Danny!"_

His mother's frantic voice, calling his name before he gasped out a final breath and let out a loud scream.

* * *

 

"Mom!"

Danny bolted upright in the luxurious bed in a panicked jerk. He twisted around, looking for any signs of life, but found the room empty. He gripped the blankets tightly and forced himself to calm down. When was the last time he had been so on edge because of a single bad dream? Danny took one glance at his mountain of scattered pillows and twisted sheets and sighed. He definitely wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

He tossed the feather soft blankets away from him and stood up from the bed in one swift motion. He changed into his ghost form and walked to the large window on the other side of his room. He looked out into the night sky and for once, he was glad Vlad lived in a remote area of Wisconsin, the view of the constellations was downright breathtaking. Danny floated outside and inhaled the fresh breeze that blew by with a calming breath. He was still freaked out by the dream he'd had, but he was determined to ignore it. He had experienced dreams about his ghost enemies numerous times, somehow though, this time felt different.

Danny decided he wouldn't dwell on the dream any longer and flew high into the clouds, admiring the warm, cloudy night and allowing the light of the moon to wash over him. Flying was always the best feeling in the world, it helped him to both literally and metaphorically get away from the problems the ground held and he envied the ghosts that had no human responsibilities, even if they were a tad bit obsessive.

The young half ghost flew behind the castle and followed along the timberline of a thick wood that flourished a small ways away from the medieval structure. There were no sounds beside the night insects and owls. Danny flew at a leisurely pace and dove into the trees as they began to disperse a bit, able to fly through them easily. He came across a small creek and landed beside it.

"Cool..." he said, watching a few small fish swimming upstream. He followed them and found that the creek grew into a small scale river, right in the middle of the large wood. Danny floated up a bit and sat down on a fallen tree to think.

There were so many unanswered questions and things the teenager didn't understand. The very thought of having to do something against his parents when he couldn't even come to terms with what their motive was, or why it happened in the first place, was unimaginable. His parents were special to him. Sam had once said jokingly that his family and friends could be his ghostly obsession, which manifested in his ever heroic Phantom side, and Danny could remember silently thinking that she could be entirely right. He loved his family, he couldn't simply believe that something so devastatingly cruel could happen to him at the hands of the woman who cared for him, raised him, taught him all he knew.

The only thought on the halfa's mind was the desperate need for answers. If his parents were in jail, he couldn't do that. He couldn't help the temporary sanctuary necessary at Plasmius' castle, but he couldn't hide here forever. He couldn't possibly think of living the rest of his life alone, there had to be some kind of explanation, a sign that something just wasn't right with this whole ordeal.

"Rough night, little badger?"

Danny definitely wasn't very surprised to hear the billionaire half-ghost's voice from behind him. Honestly he was surprised he got away with going ghost undetected in the first place. Danny simply turned and shot the man a half-hearted glare over his shoulder and dropped his chin into his hand. So much for a relaxing night...

Vlad frowned at the boy's behavior. He had sensed Daniel's signature activate and instantly was suspicious of the teen snooping around where he shouldn't be. What he didn't expect, was Phantom flying about with a troubled look on his face and a paler-than-usual appearance. Vlad internally sighed and flew forward, leaning on a tree close to where Daniel was still seated.

"I believe I might be having the same problem as you right now," Vlad said, losing the teasing tone in his voice. "You may find it disgusting, but as you know I care about your mother dearly. I daresay I know more about her than your pitiful buffoon of a father does, and what I saw...was definitely not the Maddie I know."

"You went to my house?" Danny questioned suspiciously, but only shook his head instead of questioning further. "Tch, why am I even surprised."

Vlad's frown only deepened and he pushed away from the tree, standing over the boy and crossing his arms. There were serious things happening that the billionaire could not unravel unless the stubborn halfa would simply submit to him! He had stable suspicions that a factor he cannot see is playing a hand in the twists and turns of the matter, a fact which had been eating at him the entirety of the night.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned that your parents could be under some kind of pressure? Perhaps they were paid by someone to hunt you down?" Vlad said, losing his patience.

"I'm more concerned with the fact that they'll be going to jail for something that could have been some kind of mistake!" Danny exclaimed, jumping to his feet in anger. His eyes were blazing green, and his aura glowed brightly. Before Vlad could even open his mouth Danny had blasted three large holes into a tree in frustration. Vlad could see behind the fire and spirit, there was something else. Something that shouldn't be there, residing just behind the anger in the child's eyes.

"Daniel," He said evenly, ignoring the boy's outburst. "What are trying to say?"

"I can't prosecute against them," Danny admitted, his shoulders flattening. "I'm too confused, and I don't want to lose them. They're my _parents_."

Vlad was most definitely surprised at the confession, especially from someone like Daniel, to someone he considered his archenemy. He could relate, of course, after all he had faced many hardships in his own life. He remembered the words of his butler earlier and let a soft sigh escape his lips. Getting Jack in jail and somehow freeing Maddie had been his initial plan, however if Daniel could not see them for the criminals they were, he couldn't go through with it and it would be a bust. He might as well not even bring the matter to a judge.

"There might be another way, one I hadn't wanted to disclose just yet." Vlad admitted, and Danny ceased his barrage on the trees to look at him curiously. "If I were to become a powerful figure in Amity Park, for example, the mayor, I might be able to pass a law to have your parents weapons confiscated. In other words, I can take away all of their equipment and remove them as a physical threat. However, it could take weeks for my campaign to gain much recognition..."

"I sense a catch coming on." Danny mumbled. "Let me guess, you keep my parents out of jail, and I help you become overlord of Amity Park?"

"Oh it's much more complicated than just that, dear boy." Vlad said, glad he was seeing bits and pieces of the old Daniel rising up again. "I'll need Danny Phantom as a number one supporter. I will use your image to rally up the citizens to follow their 'hero' and the result will most likely tip the scales in my favor."

"Sounds easy enough I guess..." Danny wrapped his arms around himself, feeling suddenly chilly in the windy night air. "But what if your law doesn't get passed?"

"That is where I use those idiots that call themselves the 'Guys in White'," Vlad began to explain. "You see, I plan to become the CEO of their pathetic organization and reform it to suit my needs. Should my plan go wrong, I will always have a backup. They can enforce whatever means necessary to detain anyone using ghost equipment unauthorized by them."

Danny chuckled, shaking his head. Of course the fruitloop was prepared for everything, why was he even worried? He rolled his eyes at the smug look on the billionaires face, but was surprised when he saw Vlad's smirk drop. He raised an eyebrow at the stare Vlad was setting on him.

"Daniel, that is not the only conditions to our agreement," Vlad said. "There is no way you can continue acting as if you have not realized there must be something, or some _one_ acting on behalf of your mother. There is only one explanation I can think of that fits with the events you have told me of and what I have seen. Someone is gunning for you, and your parents are the marksmen. Which is why in exchange for my help in keeping your parents and your own condition stable, the best course of action would be for you to remain with me until I find the ghost responsible."

"What?!" Danny shouted. The woods went silent, the aura around Danny grew bright blue. No way was he staying with Vlad! "Are you nuts?!"

"I do believe that I saved your half-dead existence, so you now owe me." Vlad said, and the smirk was back. Inside he was growing apprehensive at the uncontrolled energy radiating from Daniel. The evidence of something being wrong with the boy physical was almost tangible.

"You can't do that!" Danny protested. "Besides, how do I know this isn't some plot to make me your creepy assistant or something? How do I know this plan will even work? You know you can't win this honestly, and I won't let you overshadow anyone or use your ghost powers to win!"

"I make a deal with you then," Vlad compromised. "If I do manage to win the election, with only you as my spokesman, you'll complete the other half of the deal and remain hidden with me until I can find the ghost behind this. If I do not win, you may go back to your daily life as a forgotten teenager."

"Fine," Danny agreed. "But there is no way I'm letting you do it alone. It's my fight, so I'm helping you find the ghost."

Vlad scowled but nodded in agreement. He held out his hand and watched concerned as Danny forced his hand to stop shaking long enough to shake it in a silent agreement for a truce between them. Just as he let go however, Danny crashed to the ground on his knees. A sudden feeling of vertigo and lightheadedness overcame him and he saw stars for few moments, long enough to realize that he was on the ground.

Danny groaned as his core flared painfully and ice creeped out onto the trees and grass around him. Vlad grabbed him and lifted him easily into his arms, sighing but still amused all the same. The stubbornness the younger halfa showed was astronomically brutal.

"Your little temper tantrum has led to even more work for me it seems." Vlad complained teasingly. "If you would kindly refrain from using your powers unnecessarily for the next few weeks I believe it would benefit you greatly."

"Sh-shut up," Danny said, his vision continuing to spin. "Don't tell me what to do, fruitloop."

"And it seems we're back to pathetic name-calling once again." Vlad frowned. "Wonderful."

Within the early hours of the following morning the residents of the castle had begun to prepare to move their base of operations to Amity Park. Vlad had managed to have a manor built specifically for him close to City Hall in less than 72 hours, ah the things money could do.

Danny had explained the situation to his friends and had received mixed reactions from both sides. Sam wanted nothing less than the danger to be eliminated, via the Fentons taking a permanent residence in the Amity Park correctional facility, but seeing how badly it affected her friend, she had relented to the new plan fairly easily. Tucker on the other hand, was glad he didn't have to appear in front of a court just as much as Danny.

It was in the early afternoon, nearly 10 o'clock when Vlad was getting ready to disassemble his portal when Skulker came through, looking bored.

"The whelp's abode has been silent for hours now." He reported. "The woman appears to have returned to normal, I'm not even quite sure she remembers anything from the past few days at all."

Vlad's eyebrows creased at the new information, the gears in his head turning frantically. The effects of whatever had been messing with Maddie's head could not have simply vanished, but Vlad had expected a sort of reprieve approaching since Daniel was no longer in her vicinity, and she was not able to search for him. It was like a lit flame inside a glass jar, completely unable to keep burning for long without the proper oxygen.

"And the girl? How has she reacted?"

"She has set them free of their confines, however she seems just as baffled as you." Skulker said.

Vlad nodded and waved his hand dismissively. Skulker shrugged and flew back into the ghost zone, eager to begin a hunting spree now that his employer had released him from duty.

Vlad stared into the portal's swirling green colors with his arms folded tightly over his chest. There were so many possibilities running through his head he almost couldn't keep up. With the amount of enemies Daniel had there were countless suspects ready and willing to mess with the boy's life without need for a rhyme nor reason. He would have to go through with his plan quickly, or else Daniel could be targeted once again in the near future.

* * *

  
Danny, Sam and Tucker had spent their morning helping out the servants of the castle, whom had much to do since they'd been told they would be moving. Tucker of course had taken to assisting the chef in the kitchen with anything in regards to food, while Danny and Sam were outside, helping load Vlad's vast amount of ghostly plants into a truck.

"Wow, these look so amazing!" Sam exclaimed, staring at a violet, glowing plant she held in a black pot in her arms.

"Any plant looks amazing to you, Sam." Danny teased, while cringing away from a large silver flower that actually moved toward him and hiss when he got too close. The castle gardener then came over took the nasty plant away from him and chuckled.

"All flowers are amazing indeed, in their own way." said Gomez, the ghost who served as the landscaper and ghostly plant expert. He looked to be in his mid thirties with mint colored short hair and an deadly grey skin tone. Sam smirked at Danny who rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

Danny had woken up without any nightmares that morning and was in an exceptionally good mood. He had only been gone a couple of days yet he missed his town, even his school, fiercely. Vlad had insisted that his friends go back to their own homes, going so far as to intervene on their behalf and act as if he were a ghost kidnapping them and return them to their families, which the two teens instantly agreed to, seeing as the alternative was most likely eternal groundment. Danny was a bit unhappy about his friends being absent from the mansion while he was going along with their plan, but he knew it wouldn't do for him to suddenly return home after Vlad told him his mother was in a correct state of mind once again. He couldn't yet come up with an explanation and was simply content to lay low for a few more days (or weeks) in order for everything to turn out smoothly just as they had planned.

"So what is this plant used for?" Danny asked curiously. "And why does it hate me?"

"Ah, this is a very special plant. It's used to create a sort of natural, portable ghost shield." Gomez explained. "Once it blooms fully, it will turn white and the petals can be made into a poison that a ghost can sense from miles away."

Danny took a step back and frowned. Great, another plant that wanted to kill him.

"Sounds like a lot of fun..." he replied.

"I assure you it's harmless at the moment." Vlad's voice came from the doorway, making Danny jump.

"Will you quit doing that?!" Danny demanded, whilst Sam cocked an eyebrow at him curiously.

"We will be leaving soon, I'm having the servants transport the Specter Speeder back to FentonWorks while we attend to the plan regarding Mr. Foley and miss Manson's parents."

"The sooner I'm back in Amity, the better." Danny muttered, following Vlad out towards a waiting helicopter.

Tucker was already waiting for them inside and within minutes they were flying further and further away from Wisconsin. Danny felt a slight feeling of nervousness grow inside him at the thought of being close to his parents again. While he didn't want anything bad to happen to them necessarily, he didn't want to relive the traumatizing experience of having his guts boiled at the hands of freaky medieval plants. Until the situation was solved, he'd just have to deal with being away from home.

No matter how much Danny thought about it, Vlad's disposition in their issue was still confusing to him. The man did nothing without receiving some sort of benefit, but other than Danny being cooped up in his creepy house, he couldn't see any other ulterior motive. He refused to believe that Plasmius could do something out of the kindness of his blackened heart.

Danny pondered this for most of the ride, only jumping in conversation when directly addressed. All the while Vlad had been watching him for any sign that his powers might go haywire. A repeat of the night before while flying high in the sky aboard a helicopter was not on the half-ghost's agenda.

When the helicopter finally landed in the large area of Vlad's newly built billion dollar mansion in Amity Park, the teens were instantly overjoyed. Everyone was still slightly exhausted after the whole ordeal but being back home was always the world's best energy refill. As Danny stood at the door of the manor and had to say goodbye to his friends though, the feeling dampened significantly.

"Call us as soon as you get your phone back from Jazz." Sam told him as she stepped away after a brief hug. "No matter what, we're here for you."

"Totally dude," Tucker said, "We've got your back, one hundred percent!"

Danny forced a smile on his face. He wasn't so selfish that he'd prompt his friends into suffering through being stuck with his archenemy alongside him, but he was sad to settle for hanging out with them on limited time, having to remain hidden at all times.

"Thanks guys. I'll see you soon."

With that the teens were flown by Plasmius to their homes to start their little performance, and Danny was left to his own devices. Danny entered the house and sighed.

"Home sweet home."

 

* * *

_**Next Chapter:**   **Lights, Camera...Action!**_

* * *

 


	6. Irrational

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 6: Irrational**

"I need hair and makeup over here!"

"Five minutes till we're live!"

"Someone get the green screen up!"

Danny sat still as a statue in the midst of a crowd of Vlad's personal television crew with a look of nervousness plastered on his tense face. He was in ghost form, and everyone was giving him weird looks even the makeup artist Julian, who had a sparkly gold colored suit and eerie orange contacts. Danny tried his best to relax as the eccentric man led him to a chair surrounded by bright lights and watched Julian scavenge through the mess of makeup trying to find the right color for Danny's skin.

"Huh, I guess it pays to keep white powder from the Halloween specials..." Julian muttered, adjusting Danny's chair to his liking and holding a fluffy brush up. "Alright mr. Phantom, just close your eyes and don't breathe- er- sorry, I guess ghosts don't do that do they?"

Danny didn't answer and simply did what the man said, going over what he was supposed to say in his head. Vlad had drilled the words into his head syllable by syllable, but still Danny wasn't sure it would be convincing enough to get the people of Amity to see his way. Especially since there were still certain people who believed Phantom was a bad guy.

"Alright, now you better get on the set before the cameras roll without ya." Julian said, nudging Danny out of the chair and towards Vlad, who was waiting for him near the camera crew.

Vlad saw him and ushered him over, tossing an order to get the cameras ready over his shoulder as he pulled Danny aside.

"Do you remember everything you're supposed to say?" the man asked him.

Danny nodded, his eyes glued to the area in front of a green screen where he was supposed to explain to the camera why he was endorsing Vlad. He felt his heart jump into his throat and he looked away, toward the crew who were chattering away in wait.

"Let's get this over with already." Danny mumbled.

Vlad stepped back and the crew quickly got to work setting up the background and getting Danny situated directly in front of the middlemost camera.

Danny tensed as the camera man started to count down and glanced at Vlad, who gestured toward his chest and took a long breath inward. Danny copied the action and relaxed a bit, making sure to focus on the camera just as they started recording.

"Citizens of Amity Park," Danny said in a practiced, clear voice. "Our city has suffered through countless attacks of rogue ghosts that cause irreparable damage on a weekly, even daily basis. Vlad Masters, candidate for Amity Park mayor, will utilize all resources to ensure that ghost hunters are correctly trained and appropriately taught to separate the dangerous ghosts from the friendly ones. This is why I, Danny Phantom, am endorsing Vlad Masters for mayor of Amity Park."

It sounded as natural as a fish walking on the beach, but for his first time on live TV (willingly at least,) he hasn't done too bad. Danny let out a breath of relief as he hurried to follow Vlad out of the building, rubbing his face free of powder.

"Well done, you might just be able to pull this off, little badger." Vlad complemented.

"Don't call me that, someone might hear you!" Danny hissed, glancing around the parking lot.

Vlad merely smirked, deciding to keep quiet. There was something else he needed to discuss with Daniel anyway.

As the two climbed into the awaiting limousine and Danny changed back, Vlad struggled with the conflicting thoughts on how to approach the subject he would need to with a rebellious, emotional teenager.

It was obvious that there had been some damage done to Daniel that Vlad was not yet aware of, and the fact irritated him greatly. Why wouldn't the boy simply admit he'd been injured?! Vlad was getting tired of playing the guessing game with Daniel's well being and if the half ghost was going to stay with him there would have to be a point where Daniel revealed the whole truth concerning his short captivity.

"So," Danny said in a soft voice. "Did I really do okay?"

Vlad couldn't help but chuckle at the soft blush of embarrassment painting the child's cheeks as he stared out the window.

"Indeed, I daresay you could be an actor." Vlad replied honestly. The boy had kept his secret from his parents for almost a year, it made sense he was a good actor, albeit a bit tense in front of an audience...

"...Thanks."

"Of course, my dear boy." Vlad's expression turned serious. He couldn't resist, he just had to know. "Daniel, I want to remind you that you have not yet explained to me how your core became damaged, you must understand that kind of information is extremely important if you want to recover fully."

"I...I can't." Danny whispered. "I don't want to think about it, I can barely handle being reminded of it every second I'm not at home, where I should be."

"You can hardly ignore it Daniel. Not only is it not healthy but I cannot fully hope to help you if you keep everything bottled up." Vlad pressed. "She did something to you to try and take your life, it hurt you very badly, and now you are internally injured and for some reason it has not yet healed. This is all I know about that day. Please Daniel, tell me what happened exactly."

Danny bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. A series of flashes in his mind showed him unpleasant amounts of ectoplasm and blood blossoms, making him shudder.

"I-I...she..."

"Does it have anything to do with this?" Vlad questioned, gesturing to the scars across the boy's wrist all the way to his upper arm and disappearing beneath his sleeve.

Danny shook his head, trying to pull his sleeve down a bit further, self consciousness settling in. He had never cared about the scars he got on rare occasions where his ghost fights were worse than usual, but for some reason the jagged lines-barely visible as they were- bothered him deeply. If it were not late May and beginning to get hot he would have worn a turtleneck just to hide them.

"It's not that it wasn't horrible, it's just..." Danny trailed off.

"You still love them."

Danny looked downward. His silence was answer enough. How could he simply ignore and betray the people that raised him? He was still clinging to the small hope that something was going on that he wasn't aware of, something Danny Phantom could fight, and save the day just like always. It was all he hope for.

"They didn't kill you this time, you can thank your friends and sister along with myself for that, but what happens when no one is around? What if I hadn't been able to save you?" Vlad said.

Danny frowned, glaring a bit as he looked up at the older man.

"You want to have all the answers, don't you?" Danny said in a snap. "The fact of the matter is, I don't trust you. Our alliance is only valid as long as you and I hold up our respective ends of the deal. I'm not going to become your evil apprentice, or your creepy perfect son. Period. So stop acting like you care."

Vlad growled softly. He was trying to help the boy but his heroic attitude and sense of justice and righteousness was getting in the way!

"If you would look past your black and white view of the world and think for a minute, you might come to a different conclusion than me simply being a 'villian'!" Vlad shot back.

"Like you've given me any reason to assume any different when your creepy obsession has caused me nothing but grief!" Danny shouted, changing into Phantom. "I'm flying back on my own."

"You arrogant brat! Your core isn't stable!" Vlad protested, but Danny's mind was already made up. He couldn't stay in a room with Vlad without a fight breaking out, which was seriously not what he wanted at the moment.

"Don't follow me." Danny demanded, phasing out of the limo and shooting into the air in the direction of Vlad's mansion.

"Sugar cookies!" Vlad swore, pulling out his phone and calling his butler.

_"Hello sir, how can I help you?"_

Vlad looked out the window with a frown. Daniel was already out of sight. Of all the foolish decisions...

"Make sure Daniel returns home safely. If he does arrive on his own, you know what to do if he's out of control." he said.

_"Of course sir, may I ask why he isn't riding with you? You haven't scared the poor boy off have you?"_

Vlad frowned at Godfrey's statement, which hit way too close to home for the man's comfort. He hasn't meant for the conversation to take the turn that it had, but he couldn't dwell on regrets now.

"He's fine. Just do as I asked, please." Vlad snapped the phone shut and sighed heavily leaning back with a weary drop of his shoulders.

"Wonderful," he muttered. "Simply wonderful."

Meanwhile Danny was flying as fast as he possibly could, even though he had lost the limousine ages ago. The city of Amity was a blur of color beneath him, and he made sure to stay high enough in the sky to avoid being easily seen.

His chest was tight with the exertion of pouring all his energy into his flight but he didn't care in the least. His parents, Vlad, the election, everything seemed too much to handle at the moment. Danny suddenly slowed as he began to recognize his surroundings. He was in his neighborhood now. Fentonworks was standing tall only a few blocks away.

Home. He wanted it and feared it at the same time. He craved the normalcy of sitting at dinner to radioactive chicken beside his parents and sister, who would chatter away about whatever new project she was working on, and their dad who would put in his two cents about something to do with ghosts or his newest tech.

Danny flew towards the huge house and hovered in front of it, invisible. He was surprised when he saw none other than Jazz looking out the open window of her bedroom with unfocused eyes. He flew down to her and was surprised to see her eyes were slightly red and puffy.

"Jazz?" Danny called, becoming visible. She jumped and banged her head in the process.

"Geez, little brother!" Jazz cried. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry." Danny chuckled. "You looked spaced out, I couldn't resist!"

Jazz frowned disapprovingly but she couldn't hold it for long, choosing instead to pull the ghost boy toward her by the arm and embrace him.

"I'm glad you're okay, Danny." Jazz said before pulling back to look him over. "You are okay, right?"

"More or less, but I'm more concerned about you. How have mom and dad been?" Danny asked, watching Jazz's eyes darken. Voices could be heard from outside of her room and she tensed.

"We should talk somewhere else." she suggested. Danny nodded and wordlessly picked her up, flying away until he reached the park. There was no one there as it was a Friday, and most kids were at school. Jazz was obviously skipping, which was very unlike her, but Danny was secretly grateful he had run into her.

He lowered Jazz onto a bench and hovered in front of her.

"Well, a few things have happened since you left." She began. "I immediately went to school and told Mr. Lancer you were sick, so no one is expecting you there..."

"And mom?"

"Maddie is just fine. It's as if nothing happened. She thinks you are at Tucker's place, she keeps denying everything having to do with hurting you!" Jazz said, getting up and beginning to pace angrily.

"Does dad remember?" Danny asked quietly. He didn't like what he was hearing.

"Jack doesn't remember a thing." Jazz said. "It's like they got their minds wiped."

Danny frowned at the news, but shook his head and decided to ignore it as best he could. Now was not the time to think about those things.

"Well, I've got a plan, and so far it seems like it will work." Danny said. He quickly explained the deal he'd made with Vlad, the election, and where he was currently staying.

The whole time he was speaking Jazz's frown only deepened and she eyed the trees beside him, not looking directly at Danny.

"Danny..." Jazz said, pity noticeable in her voice. "I know you want to save everyone, it's your job...but I really think they should be...put away for a while."

"I can't just do that to them Jazz!" Danny said. "They're our family, Vlad's going to help me figure this thing out, and everything will go back to how it was."

"That's impossible at this point!" She said loudly.

"I won't abandon them in a cell to rot. Not if it possibly could be unjust imprisonment!"

Jazz stopped pacing and stood tall in front of Danny. Normally she was slightly taller than him, but he was hovered a couple of inches above the ground, and the siblings were eye to eye. Jazz gave a frustrated grunt and pointed at Danny's chest angrily.

"How could you be so naïve?! They want to kill you! If they saw you right now, who's to say they wouldn't remember everything and pull out their guns on you?! Think for once!"

"I am thinking! I'm doing my best to make everything okay again, that's why I'm forcing myself to stick around that fruitloop with an ego all day! I want to fix this, I want everything to be alright again!" Danny shouted. He shook with frustration and anger, his chest tight to the point of pain.

"This isn't the way, Danny. Please, you haven't been with them these past couple of days, they don't deserve to be free, the certainly didn't care about your freedom." Jazz pleaded. "They need to be in prison. That's the only way things will change. Maybe then they'll see the error of their ways."

Danny's eyes blurred with tears and he grit his teeth, backing up in the air away from his sister.

"I'm sorry Jazz, but I just can't do that."

Danny shot back into the clouds, Jazz's desperate voice shouting for him to come back. But he couldn't bring himself to stop. He felt stressed beyond belief, and sorrow was clouding his mind like a shadow of darkness coming over him.

He flew straight into Vlad's mansion and landed in kitchen. He sighed in relief when he saw no one was there at the moment and decided he would make himself something to eat to distract his mind from the pile issues that were dominating his life.

Danny got to work making himself the most interesting combinations of sandwiches that would make Tucker proud and felt his mood begin to lift. He wasn't going to let the troubles plaguing his family life affect his outlook on everything or ruin a perfectly good day. What kind of hero would he be if he just sat around and only thought about his next fight with a villian?

As Danny was finishing his last couple of sandwiches he felt his ghost sense creep up his throat. A large gust of icy breath much colder than normal burst from his mouth and he turned away, coughing over his shoulder at the brisk feeling in his mouth that still lingered.

He caught sight of the being that set off his power in his peripheral vision and frowned. It was one of Vlad's staff and it was definitely not the happy-go-lucky chef.

"Afternoon, Mr. Fenton." Said the ghost, who looked practically ancient. "I don't believe we've formally met. My name is John Godfrey, and I am the head of staff here."

"Oh, hi, looks like you've already got my name, but let's keep it at Danny okay? None of that 'Mr. Fenton' stuff." Danny replied.

Godfrey chuckled and held out a hand, which Danny hesitantly shook. He wasn't used to ghosts doing anything but beating him up, hunting him down, or freaking him out. Still, if he was employed by Plasmius, no matter how nice he was Danny was sure he could not simply let his guard down around him that easily.

"So, I hear you're planning on saving your parents from a sticky situation with the law, is that right?" Godfrey pressed.

Danny glared down at the stack of sandwiches on the counter in disgust. He would have to have a little chat with Plasmius about what he shared with his freaky servants...

"Yeah..." He said slowly. "More or less."

"Quite noble of you, is the rest of your family in support of your efforts?" Godfrey asked. His eyes were kind and gentle, but on the inside he was immensely concerned. It didn't take a genius to figure out where Danny had flown off to after he did not return within the time it would normally take to fly to the manor.

"She's...against it." Danny said. He didn't like that this ghost was dampening his previous carefree mood.

"Ah, a sister then?" Godfrey paused, and Danny nodded in confirmation. "Oh dear, care to talk about it? Forgive me for being so nosy, but I'm told I am quite a good listener."

Danny eyed the old butler critically for several long moments, searching the man's features for any sign of sinister intent. He sighed and looked away. He bobbed his head once and Godfrey smiled brightly.

"Wonderful!" He said, heading to the other side of the kitchen and searching through the cabinets. "Allow me to make us some tea first, it will calm the nerves."

"No offense, by I'm not really a fan of tea..." Danny said. Godfrey chuckled.

"Ah, but you have yet to try my homemade tea, at least give it a try Mr. Fenton, it's all I ask."

Danny frowned as Godfrey proceeded to boil water on what looked like kettle taken straight out of a victorian fairy tale book. He sighed and began thinking about which sandwich he wanted to eat first.

"Alright, I'll try your tea. Oh, and it's Danny." The boy said.

"Of course." Was all the butler replied.

As the butler proceeded with his task he watched the boy out of the corner of his eye. He'd never seen a teenager look so lifeless. It was as if all the youth had been sucked right out of the boy! He'd seen his employer in various states of obsessive, depressive moods whilst working for the man, but the sullen look on Danny's face was downright pitiful!

"So tell me about this sister of yours."

* * *

"If the welp finds out about this, I am not taking responsibility."

Vlad glared at the metal ghost beside him from his seat in front of his many screens, each showing a room in the mansion. Danny and Godfrey were displayed on the largest monitor in the lab and Vlad had been watching then suspiciously for a solid ten minutes when Skulker appeared.

"Have you finished the device or not?" Vlad demanded.

"Here it is." Skulker said, holding up a small circular object. "Get this on the brat and you'll have access to audio, video, and the pups vitals. Though I don't see why you'd have much use for this thing."

"That isn't for you to understand now is it?" Vlad grabbed the object from Skulker and held it up to the light. "Call me paranoid, however this boy seems to find trouble wherever he goes, and that might just become an extremely useful advantage to this mystery. Therefore it seems only logical to keep tabs on him."

"Whatever you say, you are the one helping him." Skulker said. "He's still prey to me."

With that Skulker left through the ghost portal and Vlad was left watching the screen portraying Daniel and his butler.

The billionaire sighed and turned towards the door. He had quite a lot of serious conversations he'd been needing to have with Daniel that were lined up in front of him, but the most important was the boy's school. He could only let the teen pull the sick card for so long... however if Daniel did return to Casper High, there was a chance his parents could find him there.

Vlad left the lab and walked quickly to the kitchen where he had seen the boy last. He heard voices from inside and began to mentally prepare himself for the angst that was sure to explode from the teenager right in the man's face as soon as he saw him.

Vlad stepped into the room and Godfrey immediately smiled at him. Daniel however looked away from him, his dark bangs concealing his expression from view.

"Good evening sir." Godfrey greeted him.

"Indeed. I hope you haven't let our guest spoil his dinner." Vlad replied, his eyes glued on Danny. Godfrey chuckled but then straightened up, casting Daniel a quick glance.

"I believe once those bright eyes come out of that mess of a mop, Mr. Fenton will have something to say to you Mr. Masters."

Danny's head shot up and he looked at Godfrey pleadingly. They'd had a quick conversation regarding the events that preceded Danny's visit with his sister, and the old man had not spared a stern word.

* * *

_"Let me see if I understand this correctly: you left the car, in ghost form, without so much as attempting to think about what damage your actions could have caused to not only yourself but your sister as well?" Godfrey said. Danny looked down sheepishly._

_"He gave me no choice, besides he always insists on giving me that weird shot every morning, my powers wouldn't have gone haywire...I think."_

_"You sound quite sure of that." Godfrey said, unconvinced. "I daresay an apology is necessary in this case."_

_"What?!" Danny jumped to his feet. "No way! Vlad doesn't deserve anything from me, he's evil!"_

_"Yet he has done nothing but help you." Godfrey countered._

_"That's...it's not..."_

_"An adult who is currently your sole benefactor and actually taking an interest in your physical and mental health deserves a bit of politeness despite past differences, don't you think so?"Godfrey pressed._

_"I...guess you're right..."_

* * *

"B-but I-"

Danny gulped at the sweet smile yet dark eyes of the ghost butler and bit his lip turning to Vlad who wore a bewildered frown on his face.

"You wanted to tell me something?" Vlad asked with a raised eyebrow.

Danny tried his best to keep eye contact with the other half ghost and blushed slightly, deciding to hurry up and get it over with.

"I wanted to say... I'm sorry for running-er, flying- out on you earlier... it wasn't cool..."

Vlad went completely rigid and Danny was sure he was going to be laughed at, or worse made fun of.

What Vlad was really thinking was how in the world he had let a shape-shifter into his home undetected, because this certainly was not the same Daniel he had interacted with for the past few days!

"Sir?" Godfrey whispered at him. Vlad jolted and his glassy eyes snapped back to Daniel who was looking up at him with nervous icy blue eyes.

"I accept your apology, if course." Vlad said, and Danny looked relieved. But Vlad began to once again gather his wits about him and fixed the boy with a stern stare as he remembered the events from the car ride earlier. "However I would hesitate to do such a reckless thing again, as I will not be so forgiving."

Danny shuddered and nodded quickly, and Vlad dropped the stare.

"Now, I believe it would be a good for you to rest in your room for a bit until dinner, Daniel." Vlad said. He wanted very much to interrogate the butler on the details of his conversation with Daniel.

"I feel fine." Danny replied, frowning.

Vlad almost forgot how infuriating the boy could be.

"I don't believe it was a suggestion."

Danny glared at the billionaire and crossed his arms. No way was he going to get sent out of the room like a little kid who wasn't allowed hear an 'adults conversation'.

"I don't want to go to up there." Danny said flatly. "And you can't make me."

Vlad growled and stepped forward to knock some sense into the insolent brat when Godfrey stepped in front of him, whispering softly so that only Vlad could hear.

"He's a child, treat him like one. Just watch and learn." Godfrey turned to a curious Danny. "You have been asked to go to your room and stay quiet for the evening, should you choose to behave childishly and ignore the suggestion, you can consider yourself confined to your room for both the entire evening and the following morning. You have five seconds to decide."

Danny's eyes widened and he looked at Vlad as if he were questioning whether this was serious or not. Vlad simply raised an eyebrow at him and Danny felt his stomach jump onto his throat. No way was he letting himself get grounded by an old man!

"1...2..."

Oh man, of all the nerve-racking sounds the butler had to count-

"3... not getting any younger here..."

Danny bit his lip and uncrossed his arms. No, no no he wasn't going to give in-

"4..."

In a rush of panic Danny shoot up from the chair he'd been content to continue sitting on. His hands waved in surrender and his eyes were wide.

"Alright, I'm going already!" Danny said, hurrying out the door and away from the two men.

As soon as the boy left Vlad stared amazed at Godfrey.

"Are you certain you've always been a butler?"  


* * *

**_Next chapter: Danny faces an unknown enemy in a place where he is most vulnerable: his dreams._ **

* * *

 


	7. Whispers

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 7: Whispers**

Two days had passed since the day of the televised announcement made by Danny Phantom. Vlad had been watching his ratings closely and had received quite a bit of new publicity for his stunt.

Most of the citizens of Amity Park were nervous about the aspect of getting more involved with the issues concerning ghosts in the town, but Vlad was adamant that as mayor he would reform the laws to keep them safe, as was his speech in every interview. The rise in publicity had only done his ratings wonders as the approval for his campaign was only rising. If there was any doubt he would win, Vlad was sure it was sealed now.

Vlad had to admit...he wasn't so sure he could have gone through with his little 'deal' with Daniel, the easy way was always his go-to plan for any situation, living with a hard working, honesty-brings-results kind of superhero had put a slight damper on his 'evil' outlook.

Especially when the infernal child insisted on being involved in every aspect of the billionaire's campaign!

"Hey Vlad, how long are you going to take on that speech?"

The older halfa looked up from his desk with an unhappy glare and Daniel simply smiled back at him innocently. The boy had insisted he come along with Vlad to his work in order to make sure he wasn't 'cheating' as far as their accord was concerned, however it was easy to tell Daniel was just bored. Any teenager would feel drained after days alone in a house with only himself for company, but sadly Vlad didn't have the time to be babysitting the brat...so here they were, sitting in his office.

"I believe I informed you of the lack of 'fun' you would have by coming with me this morning." Vlad snapped. "That said, if you are so terribly bored you can feel free to call the driver to take you back home."

Danny frowned and stayed silent. He dropped his chin into his hand thoughtfully. There had to be something he could do! He couldn't use his powers, Vlad didn't get off of work until 4, and it was only 10 o'clock!

"Since you're here, Daniel," Vlad said, straightening the pages of the speech he'd finally finished. "I believe there's a matter we have yet to discuss."

"Great." Danny muttered sarcastically.

"You are aware that you cannot simply go on living holed up in the manor without some form of educational stimulation, right?" Vlad questioned. "While I certainly would love to send you off to a privileged school where the education is at the very least mildly decent I'm sure you'll fight me tooth and nail to continue attending Casper-"

"It's too risky!" Danny interrupted, his eyes nervous and lowered to the carpeted floor. He took a deep breath and continued. "I-I mean, I want to see my friends everyday like I used to, but what if... if word gets out that I'm there..."

"I understand your hesitation to be found by your parents, and your concerns are indeed legitimate, however that wasn't what I had in mind."

Danny immediately crossed his arms in rebellion and set an icy stare on the halfa in front of him.

"I'm not going to a rich kid private school, if that's what your thinking." Danny said stubbornly.

"Indeed you're not." Vlad agreed. "Your identity would eventually get out, in fact it's entirely possible they could find you faster if you transferred."

"Then...what? There's no way I'm letting you hire a tutor."

"No need, the position's been filled." Vlad said, a smirk on his face.

"Filled by who?!" Danny demanded.

Vlad chuckled and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, mimicking Danny. Honestly, was the boy that dense? If Vlad was unsure whether he needed to be tutored he was completely sure now!

"Oh honestly, who else?" Vlad said, gesturing to his nameplate in the desk.

Danny felt his jaw drop and he instantly jumped from his seat. As if he would let his brain get filled with lessons given from a villain!

"Yeah right, no way in hell would I let _you_ teach me _anything_!" Danny yelled.

Vlad's eyes widened and he glanced nervously at the door to the office. Did the boy have no tact?! If someone heard them they might cause trouble for their plans! Also, the temper Daniel was so bad at controlling would definitely need some work, something Vlad would absolutely add to his mental list of extracurricular activities for the brat...

"Will you lower your voice?!" Vlad hissed. "And watch your language, a gentleman has no need for strong words."

Danny glared daggers at the man in hatred. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry in frustration. It wasn't such a bad thing, being homeschooled, Danny had thought about it a few times actually, especially when Dash became a nuisance. However, each time he had imagined his mom, jazz, even his father assuming the teacher role, Vlad Masters was definitely not on that list.

"You have no right to tell me off, I'll say whatever I want." Danny said. "And your not tutoring me, I'm not going to let you."

'Where's Godfrey when I need him...' Vlad thought desperately as he stared into the rage-filled blue eyes of the teenager who had become the bane of his existence.

"You can gripe about it all you like, it won't change a thing." Vlad informed him casually, continuing with his work. "I could just as easily force you to go to Casper High, and watch you suffer through anxiety at the possibility of being captured again."

Danny stiffened and clamped his mouth shut. He was truthful with his words earlier, he sincerely didn't want to risk his parents finding him and going through his nightmarish ordeal all over again. He missed his friends, heck, he even missed Mr. Lancer, but his fears were a constant plague on his thoughts and the last thing he wanted to do was have another panic episode in front of Vlad.

"...Okay, I'll...I'll do it."

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of heart. Was the boy that afraid of his parents?

"Alright, we'll start Monday then."

Danny sat down and the day proceeded to drag on without another argument from the two half-ghosts.

Upon their return to the mansion Danny had called Sam and Tucker to get them up-to-date with everything that had happened, and he'd received mixed emotions.

Sam was against Vlad's campaign for mayor of Amity, and she was in agreement with the idea to continue to lay low and get tutored from Vlad. Tucker on the other hand, agreed that the laws passed by Vlad could get Fentonworks shut down for good, but he missed Danny at school, and wished he didn't have to stay locked up so long.

Danny didn't think he'd ever been this stressed in his entire life. He wished he could turn back time, undo all the mistakes he'd made to get him to this point. Maybe then he wouldn't have to worry about his parents going insane...

Danny went straight to bed after dinner, claiming he was tired from the day out, but truly his mind was on overdrive and all he wanted to do was relax and sleep...

* * *

 

_He was shaking, why was he so cold? His ears were ringing from the silence, while his eyes remained shut tight against the unknown area around him._

_"It's about time we meet again, my little half-breed."_

_Danny felt a shiver race down his back. His eyes shot open and he spun around, but all he could see was darkness._

_"Who's there?" He asked, his voice straining to break the numbing silence that surrounded him._

_He heard a soft laugh and the sound of rattling chains. The gentle rustling of the irons clanging together was sending Danny into a panic, though for the life of him he could not understand why._

_"I am whoever I need to be." The voice replied finally. "An executioner, a school bully, a tipsy driver...a sadistic mother..."_

_A light appeared not too far ahead of Danny, and he immediately lurched toward the warmth it brought. He couldn't stand to be in the darkness, alone and forgotten._

_"I am the one who corrects the imperfections of this human plane." The dark voice continued. "And you, little one, are a blasphemous creation."_

_"I'm not...I haven't hurt anyone..."_

_The light suddenly surrounded him and he found himself inside his sister's bedroom back at FentonWorks. Jazz was kneeling on her bed with her face buried into her pillow. Her body shook with silent sobs as her parents screamed outside._

_"You hurt everyone around you, there is not one person who is not affected by the trouble that follows you like a curse."_

_Danny blinked and his surroundings changed. He was now inside Casper High, and Mr. Lancer was seated at his desk in his classroom. He seemed to be looking down at various failed assignments scattered about his desk, each having one thing in common..._

_"What am I going to do with you, Mr. Fenton..." Mr. Lancer sighed, leaning back in his chair._

_Danny wrapped his arms around himself, feeling the intense cold return. He wasn't a mistake, this wasn't real... but why wasn't it real? He couldn't remember something, something incredibly important..._

_Danny looked up again and this time, to his surprise he was seeing Vlad, hastily calling Godfrey after Danny had flown out on him in the limousine. He looked tense and more concerned than Danny had ever seen him before._

_"I tried so very hard to save you from this terrible grief you would feel from your troublesome life that hurts those around you, but you insisted on living."_

_"But I-"_

_"Can you not understand?" The voice interrupted. "You are an imperfection- a_ **_freak_ ** _. Nothing more than a boy that ruins the lives of others."_

_"I am..." Danny whispered feeling light-headed. "I am not a freak..."_

_"Admit it child, you don't belong in this world... Why don't you do us all a favor, and end their suffering?"_

_"End it...?" Danny's brain was getting fuzzy, he could feel his body growing colder..._

_The sound of the chains returned and that was all Danny could take. He fell to his knees and screamed, feeling his stomach all but leap into his throat._

_"Goodbye, half breed."_

* * *

Danny's eyes shot open and he immediately felt the worst feeling in the world.

The ghost boy was falling through the night sky, in human form, towards a very hard, very deadly, very real impact with solid ground!

Danny gasped and let out a loud yell as he hastedly called forth his ghost half. The rings began to surround him all too slowly and the ground outside of the mansion was approaching quickly.

Danny raised his hands in a desperate attempt to spare his head the worst of the damage and closed his eyes, the horrifying sound of clanging chains filling his ears deafeningly.

_"Daniel!"_

Danny felt the wind get knocked right out of his lungs, but strangely, he had not hit the ground. Instead, he was hovering less than 6 feet above it. Another 2 seconds and he would have crash landed into oblivion!

"What on earth do you think you're doing out here?!"

Danny looked up and found a blue faced, angry red-eyed ghost glaring back at him. Plasmius held the boy bridal style in his arms and gently lowered the two the last few feet till his boots touched the ground.

"Vlad? What... Happened?" Danny asked, his voice cracking from his previous screams.

"You don't remember flying up into the clouds and losing your ghost half entirely?! you don't remember plummeting to the earth at all?!"

Danny cringed at the man's tone and racked his brain for answers. He remembered the feeling of being chilled, and the sound of irons... but his memory was completely blank past waking up completely airborne.

"I don't remember anything." Danny admitted. "But... how did you find me out here?"

"I must get around to teaching you how to sense when a ghost's powers are being used..." Vlad sighed, and lowered the boy to the sound earth.

Danny placed his feet in the ground but as soon as his weight dropped his knees buckled and he fell forward with a shocked cry. Vlad grabbed him around his waist and Danny grit his teeth against the odd pain that shot up his legs every time he let any weight into them.

"Easy, hold onto me." Vlad said. "Try to hover, carefully."

Danny did as instructed and lifted himself into the air. He held tightly to Vlad's shoulders as the elder half-ghost supported him around the middle, and he felt his legs change into his spectral tail.

He wobbled dangerously and dropped a couple inches. Danny panicked and shot back into the other's arms in fear of falling. Vlad frowned and stared down at the boy's tail. It was barely moving whereas normally it would move almost as a propeller for a ghost's flight.

"I'll teleport us inside. Hold on tight and do not let go." Vlad ordered. He felt Danny grip onto his suit tightly and teleported the two of them into the manor.

Danny gasped at the strong push and pull of the power but found he was otherwise okay. He looked up and discovered he was in a room he'd never seen before.

The walls were pure white and had floors to match. The place looked like the nurse's office at Danny's school with a row of beds along the wall and a glass cabinet filled with objects Danny had no interest in ever learning about.

"Why do you have this?" Danny wondered aloud. Vlad set him down on the closest bed, -which was less like a hospital bed and much more comfortable than a hotel's- and walked away towards an intercom on the far wall.

"In case you haven't already figured it out, a half-ghost cannot simply waltz into a human hospital and not expect to be turned in to a scientific institute." Vlad answered, before pressing a button on the device on the wall.

"Now," Vlad said. "I'd like to know just how you ended up outside at this time of night."

Danny stiffened, a blush appearing across his cheeks. He wished he could remember something about what had possessed him to do something so reckless, but his mind felt like there was a thick wall blocking him from remembering a thing.

"I told you, I don't remember." Danny snapped, crossing his arms in that defiant manner he knew sent Vlad into a tangent.

"Daniel." Vlad's voice was surprisingly calm. "You do understand that although you do not like me, I'm here to talk or listen. Especially if you are thinking of making permanent decisions for your life."

Danny gaped up at the vampire-looking ghost in shock for several moments before shooting a strong ectoblast right past the ghost's head angrily.

_"I am not suicidal!"_

Vlad ducked as another blast came, this time aimed directly at his head, and glared at the boy in hatred.

"What do you expect me to think? You simply want to drop out of the sky to scare the living daylights out of me for fun?! Is that it?!" Vlad yelled.

"You were...scared?"

Vlad tensed and stayed silent, content to glare at his ward with contempt.

"Are any of you aware of how late it is?" The tired voice of Godfrey was heard as said ghost phased into the room. "I'm an old ghost, I need my sleep!"

Godfrey seemed to notice Danny at this moment, and sobered quickly, walking to the half-ghost's side.

"Oh dear. Sir, what happened? He's much more pale than usual," Godfrey fussed, looking Danny over for external injuries. "Is Mr. Fenton's core acting up again? I thought you had a fancy injection to help that."

"If you would kindly cease your yammering, old man, I might provide some answers." Vlad said, bringing a thermometer to Danny and holding it to his mouth expectantly.

"What does my temperature have to do with my legs?" Danny questioned suspiciously. He felt as if both his legs were asleep, with pins and needles jabbing him at even the slightest movement.

"If your core is the cause of this, than it could be dealt with more efficiently. If not, it could have been caused by your fall or something you had done without knowing you had done it, given your lack of memory." Vlad explained.

Danny frowned for a moment but accepted the answer and allowed Vlad to take his temperature, while Godfrey was updated on the situation.

"Daniel Fenton, _you fell out of the sky?!"_ Godfrey demanded, and Danny cringed.

"You mwake ish shound like ist ma fwault." Danny murmured, thermometer still in his mouth. Vlad rolled his eyes at the child's antics and pulled the device out of his mouth as soon as it declared it had finished the reading.

"Well, sir?" Godfrey questioned.

"It's lower than normal, even with an ice core." Answered Vlad. "This is bad."

"Why? What's happening to me?"

Vlad pulled up a chair to sit in front of Danny's temporary bed while Godfrey began scouring the room for extra blankets to bury the boy in. After several hesitant moments, Vlad answered,

"You see, much like a human's temperature rises to rid itself of infections and fight illnesses, a ghost's body-depending on your core- may more or less function in a similar fashion. Do you understand?"

"I'm with you so far...I think." Danny replied as Godfrey threw a fluffy blanket around his shoulders. He didn't protest, now that attention was brought to it Danny felt as if he were inside a meat locker!

"Since your body, more specifically your ghost core, has been weak it has let energy run rampant inside of you, causing the spikes in temperature, loss of control, perhaps even what happened earlier could be blamed on the imbalance of energy." Vlad explained.

"Should be easy enough to fix, with a bit of help from the Ghost Zone's 'flora and fauna' you've had us keep around." Godfrey commented lightheartedly.

"I'd rather not resort to that."

Danny sat looking between the two adults in boredom. He already knew he wouldn't understand a thing that was going on. his friends may call him clueless, but as the saying goes: 'Ignorance is bliss'...

Vlad stood and Danny looked up, frowning at how the man seemed to tower over him.

"I'll have the room heated for tonight, just enough to break the chill. Now, it is extremely late and we all need sleep." As he spoke Vlad transformed into his less-than-elegant looking human half, pajama-clad and all. "If you need anything, call Godfrey or myself, Daniel."

Danny wanted to argue, to tell the billionaire he was being paranoid, or that he wanted to sleep in his own room. Instead he found himself yawning as if on cue, and as Godfrey saw Vlad out Danny was already out of it.

"Now then, I'll wait here till you're asleep and then heat this place up a bit. For now, just try and sleep." Godfrey said, dimming the lights.

For once, Danny had no problem with obeying. He laid back onto the sterile bedsheets in exhaustion and allowed the dark abyss to swallow him up into sweet unconsciousness within seconds.

* * *

Waking up the following morning was a task that seemed near impossible for Vlad Masters, as his body screamed for sleep and his eyes refused to open. However his mind raced with questions as soon as he regained consciousness, so much so that he could not keep still.

He went through his morning routine on autopilot, his eyes downcast in thought. Last night had been revealing as to just what Daniel was hiding from him, he was sure of it. However, figuring out just what all of it meant was a different matter. Was Daniel somehow affected mentally by Maddie in some way Vlad could not easily see? Had the injuries she'd inflicted really been the cause of the boy's accident, or was there something Vlad was missing entirely?

The puzzle laid out before him seemed complex enough as it was, it was a terrible disadvantage to be missing some of the pieces.

As soon as Vlad had finished breakfast he'd canceled a few unnecessary meetings and given himself the morning off. Let his campaign assistants deal with the silly election, he had a different headache to see to.

Vlad continued on to the infirmary he'd stowed away on the basement floor. After a rough night and a bit of lingering paranoia he'd had it installed fully stocked and prepared for anything he might come home with, whether it be a broken bone or slash to the chest.

The half-ghost met his butler just as the ghost was exiting the room containing his young ward. Godfrey smiled and put a finger to his lips, indicating that Daniel was still asleep. Vlad nodded and they moved away from the door a bit.

"Good morning sir, come to see how the boy's held up?" Godfrey greeted softly.

"Obviously. He hasn't gone and died has he?" Vlad said sarcastically.

Godfrey pretended to contemplate it for a moment before chuckling and shaking his head.

"He woke up in the middle of the sunrise complaining about the heat, but his chill had only gone up a single degree, so I convinced him to go back to sleep. Though he is back to his ghost half's normal temperature presently, therefore I see no need to continue keeping the room heated."

"Excellent, he's fine then? No...sleepwalking?" Vlad asked. If last night was to be a common of occurrence he might just pass out from exhaustion.

"None at all sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some chores to get to." Godfrey replied, giving the infirmary door one last glance before taking his leave.

So the boy had made it. He wasn't surprised. He was however severely disappointed no further disturbance had occurred, he was running out of clues to follow. His curiosity would be the death of him, of this the man was certain.

Vlad entered the room and instantly felt the warm air inside surround him like a blanket. It was not overly hot, but it was just heated enough to feel as if one was seated in front of a warm fire.

Daniel was cocooned in several covers, and seemed to look anything but peaceful. His eyes were shut tight, his hands were clenching the sheets, and he was sweating.

As Vlad approached, Daniel seemed to sense him. Not only did his ghost sense go off, but the boy relaxed a bit and reached out, seeming confused. Vlad came to his side and watched with astonishment as Daniel relaxed even more, and his aura brightened.

If Vlad had been unsure of whether keeping the boy hidden here was the right decision, he was completely sure of it now.

"Daniel." Vlad called, shaking the teen's shoulder gently.

Daniel shifted a bit but did not awaken. His bright eyes could be seen darting back and forth beneath his eyelids as he slept on. Vlad sighed, looking down at the peaceful face of the son he so craved to have.

"I am usually disgusted by how much you resemble your father, you know," Vlad thought aloud. "But I can see her in your expressions, your spirit, and those long lashes of yours..."

Vlad suppressed another sigh and scooped up the bundle of boy and blankets into his arms, exiting the room as silently as possible.

He did not want to risk waking the boy by transforming, so he simply carried Daniel through the halls in the direction of his bedroom.

Daniel shivered as the temperature from the infirmary changed, and his neon green eyes opened ever so slightly. Vlad walked slower, praying the teen wouldn't kill him.

"Where...?" Danny mumbled, his head foggy.

'Splendid, he's still out of it.' Vlad thought.

"You're sick, go back to sleep."

"...'s cold."

Vlad allowed some of his own elemental energy to leak out and the area around the two raised in temperature. Danny let out a contented sigh and his eyes fell closed once more.

Vlad relaxed and continued on, ending his journey at Daniel's bedroom door. He walked up to the boy's bed and laid him down on it.

At least, he tried to anyway.

Danny had his cape gripped tight in one hand and a fistful of his jumpsuit in the other. His face was contorted into discomfort as his newfound pillow tried to move. Vlad attempted to lower the boy but Daniel refused to let go of him, completely unaware of his actions yet adamant to remain where he was.

 _'Even in his sleep he's stubborn.'_ Vlad thought, trying to pry Daniel's arms off him.

Vlad pulled and pushed at the boy but he did not budge an inch. He even tried to turn intangible but Daniel simply sensed the change and copied it.

"Oh honey biscuits!" Vlad swore softly, dropping onto the bed with a resigned huff. He sat tiredly on the soft covers and shifted Daniel to a more comfortable position.

Then, almost like a spell, he felt the weight of his situation leave him, and he joined Danny in a deep, stiff sleep.  


* * *

**_Next Chapter:  An unexpected visitor throws a wrench into Danny's day  
_ **

* * *

 

 


	8. Claustrophobic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Disciplinary spanking of minors incoming. Absolutely no slash.

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 8:Claustrophobia**

Three days had gone by and it was now an early Friday morning in the Master's manor. As was agreed Danny would spend the morning with Vlad in either the large library or the study, where Vlad would also do paperwork while Danny studied.

At first Danny had expected lessons with Vlad to be torturous and horrible, but as time went on, Danny found that he was able to understand even his most difficult subjects when Vlad explained them to him. It was easier to ask questions and have things explained in a different way when there was only the two of them instead of a stuffy classroom filled with his peers.

He thought about Sam and Tucker most of the day wishing he was with them at Casper. But if he were truly honest with himself, he was enjoying the reprieve from ghost fighting and his peers at his high school. He didn't know how long it would last, but he'd enjoy it while he could. The incident three nights ago had left him drained, and he'd been unable to walk around for long without losing strength in his legs for an entire day, not to mention he was completely unable to fly. He could walk around just fine now, but his flight was restricted to a hover.

It was not long after Danny's final assignment of the morning that he started to feel antsy, and he almost wished a ghost would start trouble so he could get out of the mansion for a bit. Instead, Danny settled for walking through the garden outside the manor in an attempt to cure his boredom. He walked down a path surrounded by lilies, and he couldn't help but think of his friends.

"Sam would love this." He said to no one in particular, as he gently ran his fingertip along the soft petals.

He looked up at the sky with an expression of longing. He had been able to hover yesterday, surely he'd healed enough to fly a little! Danny glanced around just in case the old man or Vlad happened to be around, before he transformed.

His aura was much more dim than usual, but other than that he felt fine. He slowly floated into a hover above the ground, not daring to go higher than a few feet. He stayed hovering in the air for a minute, trying to determine whether he could go higher or not. When he did not fall to the stone path below, he flew quickly to the roof of the mansion and landed, surveying the large property with a sigh.

He was itching to go pick a fight, preferably with a ghost like Skulker, someone who wouldn't get knocked down easily. He was going stir-crazy cooped up all day long with just Vlad and his help to occupy his bored hours inside.

Suddenly, from his perch on the roof he caught a large RV come flying into his vision, and Danny froze in fear as it neared the Fenton's Assault Vehicle drove straight into Vlad's driveway and Danny was forced to turn invisible as both his parents climbed out of the car and to the front door.

Danny's muscles were tense and his jaw was locked tight against the urge to quiver in terror. He got goosebumps just looking at his mother's trademark blue jumpsuit, her hood pulled down to show off her shiny red hair.

Why were they here? Why now? They couldn't know he was there, could they?

Danny flew down carefully and silently to the ground, several feet away from where his parents stood at the door. The door was answered by a much more human-looking Godfrey, and the two were ushered inside. Godfrey obviously sensed Danny's presence, because he held the door open just long enough for the boy to slip through and gave him a tense look that obviously meant he was to hide.

However, now that Danny was close to his parents, he noticed the bags under his mother's eyes, and the ever-so- slight damper on his father's bouncy mood. Danny edged closer to get a better look, and he froze as his mother tensed visibly and stopped walking.

"Something wrong?" Godfrey said, moving to stand in front of where Danny was hovering.

"Oh, nothing." Maddie said after a few moments. "Just thought I saw a... _rat."_

Danny shivered and clamped his mouth shut. Her gaze seemed to go right through Godfrey and straight into his eyes. He stepped back, his eyes so wide that if they could be seen, they would look as if they would pop right out of his skull.

She knew he was there, he was sure of it. Godfrey seemed to notice as well. The question was, how?

As the party made their way to a sitting room to wait for Vlad, Danny felt more and more tired. Godfrey departed to retrieve Vlad, and Danny was left floating high above his parents, watching them intently.

"Gee, who would have thought Vladdy would run for mayor huh, Maddie?" Jack said in his usual cheery voice.

"Yes, it's a bit strange don't you think?" Maddie replied. She was seated on the edge of her seat, her body on high

alert. Danny knew the position anywhere.

She was hunting him.

Danny backed up to the wall, still silent, and still invisible. She knew he was there, but that didn't mean she had a target just yet. Danny contemplated running to Vlad and getting him to make them leave, but his pride forced him to stay despite his terror.

"Hey! You alright, Mads?"

Danny was so surprised by his father's sudden loud, booming voice and flinched, his head smacking against the wall behind him. He froze, and his eyes shot open.

"What was that? Does V-man really have mice?" Jack said, bewildered.

Maddie turned and seemed to stare right at him. He'd never been so terrified in his life.

"Maybe, there just might be a little rat in here..."

Suddenly Danny's ears filled with the sound of chains, just like during his nightmare, and he flew through the wall in a dead run, dropping out of flight and invisibility as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He saw Vlad and Godfrey come around the corner and he didn't hesitate. He collided with Vlad's chest and clung to the man desperately, shaking all over.

"D-Daniel?!" Vlad grunted, staggering back. He steadied the distraught boy with an arm around his shoulders and glanced at Godfrey.

"Did the Fenton's harm you?" Godfrey asked.

Danny was breathing too raggedly to speak and simply shook his head once. In the back of his mind he somehow found himself regaining his strength bit by bit, and his aura was brighter, however that was certainly not the first thing on his mind.

"Calm down Daniel, breathe." Vlad instructed, pushing the boy back to hold his shoulders and kneel down to his level. "I thought I told you to avoid stressing your ghost half. Transform back, now."

Danny lost the last of his energy changing from ghost to human and would have collapsed to the floor if Vlad had not had a grip on his shoulders. The billionaire pulled him into his arms and Danny buried his face against Vlad's neck. The sound was still there, echoing and growing faint, but still stubbornly audible. Vlad sent Godfrey a helpless look and the butler came forward, holding his arms out.

"Daniel, stay with Godfrey while I deal with your parents." Vlad said, standing to pass Danny over.

Danny felt completely embarrassed by his behavior, but at the moment, he didn't care. He could still hear it faintly, the cling-clanging of the chains pounding in his ears. He gripped the man's suit and wrapped his legs tight around his torso, refusing to be moved.

"Oh no, you're not doing this to me again." Vlad protested, pulling at Danny's arms to release himself.

Danny vaguely wondered what that meant, but brushed it off as Vlad tried to pry him off his person. Danny couldn't help but feel a bit smug, being able to annoy Vlad like this. Like old times...

"Alright you brat, I'll just take you in there with me, and let them see you." Vlad threatened.

That made Danny lose all satisfaction. He tensed and brought his head up to look at Vlad. He wasn't serious...right? Vlad took a few steps forward towards the room where his parents were waiting and Danny instantly no longer found the situation funny.

"Stop! Y-You wouldn't!" He yelled.

"I won't if you go to your room right now, and lay down until I let you know they've gone." When Danny pulled a rebellious face he added: "Or I could drag you in there and let them have at you."

Danny didn't take long to decide. He released the man and hurried down the hall, away from the dreaded room. As the boy departed Vlad sighed, running a distraught hand through his ever-perfect hair.

"You're improving." Godfrey acknowledged. "He listened to you."

"Out of fear." Vlad corrected. "Not respect."

"Well, you must earn his true respect then, mustn't you?"

Vlad huffed, and hurriedly entered the room, mentally preparing himself for a bone-crushing hug.

* * *

Once in his bedroom Danny stood in front of a mirror and stared at his reflection. He looked terrible. His eyes were red and his skin was as pale as his ghost half's, not to mention he was still slightly trembling all over. Out of curiosity Danny transformed again and his aura and his energy had lost the small burst of power from before in the hall. Strange.

Danny collapsed onto his soft bed with a resigned sigh, allowing himself to transform back when he started to grow dizzy. He couldn't help but feel slightly angry over his current situation. Any normal, human 14 year old wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by ghost weapons, or fighting for their life on a weekly basis not to mention having to save the lives of others besides yourself. Danny wouldn't trade his powers for anything, but he couldn't resist the temptation of thinking about what his life would have been like without ghost-fighting parents.

'Boring.' He thought with a grim smile.

He fought sleep as long as he could, he really did, but knowing he wouldn't dare leave his bedroom until he was sure it was safe, Danny allowed his eyes to close, and soon he was dreaming of hanging out with his friends, while his arch-enemy and worst fears chatted just downstairs.

* * *

"Daniel."

Danny groaned and rolled over, vaguely noticing he'd somehow gotten under his covers.

"Wake up, I believe you've napped long enough." Vlad's smug voice persisted, this time occupied by a less-than-gentle shake to his shoulder.

Danny's baby blue eyes slid open gradually and he saw Vlad standing above him, looking less perfect than usual. His hair was mussed, and his clothes were wrinkled. He looked as he'd just fought a wild animal. Though Danny had the sneaking suspicion that animal was named Jack Fenton...

"Wait... my parents...!" Danny gasped, sitting up abruptly as memories flooded back into his mind.

"They're gone, they left a few minutes ago." Vlad replied. "It is soon to be two in the afternoon and I'll be heading out soon to see to plans for my upcoming speeches. I wanted you to know before you-as the kids say-'freaked in'."

Danny didn't even bother to correct him. "What did they want?" He asked.

"To welcome me to the city, I suppose." Vlad answered. "That and they have proposed to assist me in winning over the people of Amity to vote me mayor as well as working for me in the ghost fighting department if I do win..."

Danny tensed, his eyes boring into Vlad's "You said no, right?"

"I might have, or might not have..."

"Plasmius!"

Vlad chuckled evilly for a moment, almost like old times, before waving his hand dismissively and turning to leave the room. However in consideration of his young guest he decided to their a quick message of assurance over his shoulder as he took his leave.

"Relax, my boy. Your buffoon of a father will not come near you."

Danny watched him leave warily, standing up from bed and staring at the door.

"It's not him I'm worried about..."

Danny proceeded through the day in a haze. He had many important things to think about, sure, but his brain couldn't process a single one. All he could think of was his mom.

Her eyes had been so dark, shadowed, so different compared to the woman who had raised him, not knowing the secret he'd kept hidden from her for what seemed to be forever.

Danny had found that the most quiet and secluded place on the property besides his bedroom, (which he'd been politely kicked out of by a group of maids wanting to tidy up) was the roof. He spent well over an hour there to think and wonder what his friends and Jazz were doing. He'd concluded that Jazz was most likely doing homework, holed up in her room with a no-nonsense attitude yet a chipper spirit about anything having to do with learning. Sam was probably doing the same, albeit with a much darker mood, or perhaps talking to Tucker, who was exceptionally good with numbers, no surprise there. If Tucker wasn't talking to Sam or out in patrol with her he'd be engrossed in a video game, one Danny would have been joining him in if he could. Danny was sure if he asked Vlad would buy him the best video game systems money could buy and then some, but Danny didn't want the fruitloop to think he was getting comfortable living here. Oh no, not at all. He craved the homey, lived in feeling of his own bedroom, and the casual sounds of dinner being made just downstairs in the kitchen, or the clinks and clangs of metallic parts being tinkered with in the lab.

Of course, now Danny shuddered at the mental images of the homemade lab that came to mind when he thought about home. It was as if his mind was trying its hardest to never let him forget the awful things that happened that day. Danny sighed and knelt down in a tired slump on the roof. Great, now he was feeling depressed again.

Judging by the sun that was beginning to hang lower and lower in the sky Danny assumed it was well past four o'clock and he had probably spent a couple hours on the roof without even knowing it. He looked out onto the soft, cleanly cut grass below him and wondered if he should risk trying to fly down, or simply phase back into the attic and work his way down on foot.

It was clear which one was safer, however Danny had been feeling a lot better since earlier... Danny huffed in annoyance and made to phase back into the house when a dizzying array of spots burst into his vision. He stumbled back a few steps, wary of the ledge, and fell onto his backside. He gripped tightly to the roofing and floated a bit to regain his balance. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to reorient himself and slowly lowered from the air back to the roof. Danny opened his eyes slowly and surprisingly he still saw a few spots, almost like a g-force effect on a rollercoaster. What was worse though, was the hazy cloud that was filling his brain. He felt fuzzy and almost as if his body were going numb. He heard the sound of clattering chains roar in his ears and instantly panicked.

'Get off the roof, get off the roof get off the roof...' He repeated to himself, using the last of his strength to phase through the roofing below him and crash into the dark room directly below it. He groaned softly and thought he heard someone chuckle. At first he that Vlad had returned, but his growing fears increased when the voice returned, this time surely coming from his own mind:

_'If I can't get you to dispose of yourself, maybe I can get someone here to do it for you...'_

Danny's last coherent thought was that he had to get away, he had to run, to escape...but as the pounding sound of metal on metal filled his ears, Danny fell into a comatose state, and his mind completely shut down.

* * *

At this time, it was almost 6 o'clock, and as a prompt and scheduled man John Godfrey was not one to send a child to bed with late or no dinner. Thus, with this thought in mind the butler searched for Daniel Fenton's ghost signature to track the boy down. He'd been there long enough to know when the chef prepared their meals, and Godfrey was beginning to suspect his boss might have lost his temper and decided to end the boy when he could not find I'm in his usual hangout spots.

What he did not expect, was to suddenly come across him in a random hallway, in ghost form, and racing past him in a high-speed flight up the hallway. The boy barely glanced at him, but from what Godfrey had seen, his pupils looked dilated, and his face looked almost...gleeful?

The butler hadn't had time to analyze this too much however, because as soon as the boy blew by in a rush of wind and shocking white hair, the lights in the hallway exploded, and the wallpaper was ripped up and scattered into a mess on the floor. Glass from the bulbs littered his feet and a thin layer of smoke permeated the air. It was also unreasonably cold, when only a few seconds ago it had been nicely warmed in the hall. Godfrey stood silently gaping at the mess in shock for several moments. Daniel had never shown such a power of destruction! What was the half-ghost thinking?! Godfrey whirled around and gaped at the equal amount of ruined decor that lay behind him where the ghost boy had just been.

Oh dear.

Godfrey sped down the hallway, dodging glass shards and half floating to avoid further damage to the already ruined floorboards. Honestly, he was going to give that child a piece of his ancient mind! Godfrey followed the path of destruction and found Daniel blasting away at a crystal chandelier in the ballroom used for parties. Godfrey sighed as it crashed to the ground and the look of glee on the boy's face only grew.

"Mr. Fenton!" Godfrey shouted. "That is quite enough."

Danny turned to look at him, but his eyes seemed absent, hollow even. He chuckled and cocked is head to the side curiously.

"Hmm, the help I assume?" Said Danny. "I was hoping for the one called Plasmius, but you'll do I suppose."

Before Godfrey could even ponder the sentence spoken he was ducking to the side to avoid an ectoblast to his head. The kid has gone crazy! Godfrey shot into the air and dodged three more shots- not an easy thing to do at his age mind you- and set a hard look toward the troublemaker before him.

"I don't know what this is about, but I can assure you it will not end well should you decide to pick a fight with

me, mr. Fenton."

"That is what I'm hoping for." Danny chuckled, and lunged at him.

-Vlad's POV-

Vlad Masters considered himself to be a patient man. He admitted to having a rather explosive temper, but the instances where it was displayed were rare. However, dealing with humans who had no idea what they were doing caused the half-ghost to be irritated beyond belief.

'The sooner I win this silly election the better.' He reminded himself. He headed home, taking the 'scenic' route, in the form of his ghost half flying high through the clouds and descending into sight only when his manor was in close sight. He had to admit, after years of only himself and his staff it was a refreshing change to have someone waiting for him to return, even if that person claimed to be his enemy. Just because he had agreed to a temporary truce with the boy didn't mean he was going to give up on his dreams of having Daniel as his son. Now, how to go about getting Maddie to join him after that...bah, a plan for that could wait. Maybe he'd take Daniel out somewhere tomorrow, the boy had definitely been cooped up entirely too long.

As Vlad neared the massive house he felt a chill run up his spine. Not a good sign. Vlad had spent enough time with his powers to know to trust his instincts, and right now his instincts were telling him something was wrong. The man flew intangibly through the front door and landed inside. He heard a loud 'CRASH' and turned toward the direction of the sound. As he flew, the house seemed to grow colder and colder as well, soon he was hearing the definite sounds of combat. He phased into a random room after following a path of destruction around the place, and he growled angrily when he saw none other than Daniel himself attacking Godfrey and, oddly, seeming very happy about it.

Godfrey seemed calm enough, Vlad also noticed that Daniel's fighting was rather...frantic, crazed even. But with adrenaline now flowing at the sight of a fight Plasmius shot into the air and pinned Daniel to the wall before the younger ghost could fire a blast of cold ice at the butler.

"What on earth is going on in here?!" Vlad demanded. Danny struggled, pinned by a firm grip around his neck, not enough to cut off his air supply, but enough to make him gasp for breath and pry at the man's fingers.

"Let go!" Danny shouted, his voice sounding much more harsh than usual. Vlad was almost surprised.

"I'm not sure why, but our guest seems to have quite the death wish at the moment." Godfrey said, a bit out of

breath. Vlad frowned.

Before anything more could be said Danny phased through Plasmius' grip on his neck and kicked him in the gut, sending him flying across the room and into a bookshelf. As the man collected himself Danny turned his attention to Godfrey, who was now alert and had energy glowing dangerously around his fingertips which were raised defensively. Vlad grit his teeth in anger. The boy had gone completely out of his mind! Danny smirked and dove for Godfrey with fists raised ready to blast the ghost into oblivion,while Vlad shouted for Danny to stop. However before Danny could land a hit Godfrey turned and grabbed the boy by the arm and spun him around, while using his other hand to strike a pressure point on the child's body causing him to go completely limp. He was not unconscious, but rather unable to move while he collapsed into the old ghost's arms.

Vlad had meanwhile joined then in the air and flew over, his face serious. He scooped up Danny from his butler's hold and glared angrily into Danny's toxic...red eyes? Vlad raised an eyebrow. Daniel didn't have red eyes, not his ghost half, neither his human half did. So who...?

"You're...no fun at all..." Danny mumbled unhappily, his frenzied smile gone in favor of a defeated scowl. "You could have...killed me. You _care_ for the brat...too much."

With that, Plasmius lost sight of those glowing red irises and with a long blink, neon green eyes lit up in their place. Danny blinked a few more times, this time in confusion. He looked around and his face grew red.

"W-why are you holding me? Put me down!"

Vlad, more angry than anything else, lowered himself to the ground and held Danny tightly, keeping his limbs trapped to prevent the boy from flailing.

"First, you're going to answer how this happened!" Plasmius said, turning his gaze to the mess of what once could have been a study room.

"I didn't- what?"

Danny looked around. He didn't remember any of this. He felt like he'd been in a fight, yes, but the last thing he remembered was being on the roof, and falling asleep...

"Sir, I don't believe that was entirely Mr. Fenton we were fighting just now." Godfrey suggested.

"I'm aware." Vlad said. "Still, I was hoping for a more helpful answer."

 _"Hey!"_ Danny yelled in response.

"Can you walk?" Vlad asked. He was hesitant to let the boy down, after the recent issues involving his balance and strength...

"Of course I can!" Danny said, and as he was set down, he asked, "What happened? What fight are you talking about?"

"It I'd possible that you were just overshadowed." Vlad replied. "I sensed something strange when entering the mansion. It may have been the presence of another entity."

"Another...you mean I attacked you? Without knowing it?" Danny said, astonished. How could he not remember?

"Perhaps it might be a good idea to have dinner and calm ourselves down a bit, before having this conversation." Godfrey said.

"Who said I was hungry?" Danny snapped. He was frustrated now, everything in his life made no sense. He couldn't even see his friends anymore because he was so scared of his parents finding him. Everything he knew was turned upside down and in the worst of ways. Now, he wasn't sad, confused or depressed. He was angry.

"You will not talk to Godfrey like that." Vlad said with a glare. "You're on thin ice as it is."

"I'm not your creepy apprentice or perfect son Plasmius!" Danny yelled turning to the billionaire. "So stop treating me like a little kid! I don't have to 'calm down' and I don't need you to cart me around like a damsel in distress!"

"Then stop acting like a helpless, immature, stubborn brat and let people help you!" Vlad shouted in retaliation. Danny scoffed.

"As if I'd accept 'help' from my _archenemy_! Just because we're temporary allies doesn't mean I don't still believe you're one seriously crazed up Fruitloop, and you can go to hell!"

Vlad's eyes widened for a split second before darkening in anger. No, he wasn't angry,

He was livid.

"Godfrey? I believe starting on those preparations for dinner would be nice, we'll join you in a few minutes." Vlad stated in a cold voice, his red, wrath-filled eyes glued to Danny's own glaring ones.

The butler left promptly and Danny couldn't help the twinge of fear that he felt in the lot of his stomach now that he was alone with a ghost that was literally better than two of him. But he squashed it down and met Plasmius' gaze dead-on, no fear in his eyes to display to the enemy. No weakness to be seen in the face of danger.

"What?" Danny mocked. "You gonna beat me up now, 'teach me a lesson'? Come on then, I can take you, cheese head!"

That did it. Vlad took two large steps forward and snatched the impudent brat by the wrist, dragging Danny behind

him as he made his was to a seat that had thankfully been spared any damage. Danny attempted to dig the heels of his boots into the floor but Vlad was much bigger, not to mention much stronger-as much as he hated to admit it-than he was, and he was dragged along without much resistance.

"I've had just about enough of your attitude." Vlad snapped, changing into human form and sitting down. He flung the confused boy face-down over his knees and pinned Danny's legs with one of his own whilst keeping his wrists locked tight behind the child's back. "That will change, right now."

Vlad raised his hand high and brought it down sharply onto Danny's wriggling backside. Danny froze, realizing now what Vlad was getting at now that that there was a blossoming sting in his bottom and struggling even harder.

"You can't do this!" Danny cried. "Let me go!"

Vlad's only response was to bring his hand down in rapid succession, causing Danny to suck in a breath. It was _really_ starting to sting.

It was bad enough that he was getting smacked by his archenemy, but then Vlad began to lecture in a cold tone of voice:

"All my staff here have done for you is make you comfortable. And everything I've done, including running in this silly election, is all for your benefit, and you still dare to run your mouth like a childish prince."

Danny grit his teeth against the pain in his seat, deciding to wait it out and also trying desperately to get Vlad's grip to loosen up enough to get free. Vlad was completely fed up and his butt was very much paying for it.

It felt like he'd sat in a beehive with infinite bees stinging his backside.

"And who was it that saved you from a fatal fall to your death?" Vlad continued. "And kept you safe from your parents, and saved your life when you won't even tell me everything that happened that night! Well?!"

Danny felt his eyes moisten and blinked rapidly. No way would he give in to this crazy half-ghost. He was Danny Phantom, he could handle a little pain. Though with each second he stayed silent the swats rained down harder and faster and Danny was forced to bury his face into Vlad's thigh to avoid crying out.

"I'm waiting." Vlad said. "Trust me Daniel, I could do this all. day."

Danny whimpered at the threat and stiffened. He wasn't serious, he couldn't be serious. But with each second he felt more and more if his resolve weakening, and soon he was struggling again, this time in more pain than embarrassment.

"Okay! I'm sorry! Stop!" Danny cried.

Vlad slowed down the tempo of the smacks and loosened his grip a bit.

"For?"

Danny groaned and tried to move his backside out of the line of fire. Vlad wasn't missing a beat.

"Come on, that hurts!" Danny pleaded.

"That's the point. Now answer or I take my belt off." Vlad responded.

"No! I- _ouch_ \- okay, okay," Danny cried, his back arching and trying to move even the slightest bit away from his enemy. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and Godfrey, you didn't deserve it and I won't do it again!"

Vlad seemed satisfied with his answer, for he doled out about half a dozen more before stopping and allowing Danny to stand. With a hiss of pain Danny straightened and transformed into Fenton. His eyes were definitely not dry, but he hadn't cried. A small victory for the young half-ghost, but a victory nonetheless.

"I expect better from you." Vlad said. "No son of Maddie's should be anything less than a gentleman, understood?"

Much to his mortification Danny found he could not meet Vlad's gaze, and his eyes stopped right at the man's nose. Instead of risking the terrible sound of his choked up voice answering and adding to his embarrassment, Danny simply nodded his head.

"Good, so for your earlier transgressions, you are forgiven. now I believe that despite your earlier claim you are indeed hungry, am I wrong?" Vlad asked.

Another nod.

"Well then let us join Godfrey in the dining room." Vlad said, standing. He risked the glare and casually ran a hand through the boy's raven hair and proceeded to walk towards the door.

Danny didn't respond, but followed Vlad nonetheless. He frowned at his own vulnerability, but he figured he could wait a couple hours before exchanging more witty banter to revive his dampened ego. Besides,

He really was hungry.

 

* * *

**_Next Chapter: Danny gets out of the mansion to meet with his friends._ **

* * *

 


	9. Nightmares

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 9-Nightmares**

A week had nearly flown by since Danny had been seemingly possessed and he still couldn't remember a thing. The fact that someone else had been in his own body and mind bothered him greatly, he was usually the one doing the overshadowing, not the one overshadowed!

But despite this disturbing fact he had yet to explain he continued his days like nothing had happened. Oddly enough he wanted to avoid thinking of the day entirely...for obvious reason really.

Danny found himself thinking about his parents instead in the afternoon after he'd had lunch with Vlad that day. He decided to walk around a bit, and maybe visit the home theater Vlad had shown to him the day after he'd been overshadowed.

However when he turned into the hall that contained flight of stairs to the elaborate basement, he saw something that made him pause. A door, unlike the wooden and ornate ones around him but a subtle steel metallic color with a modern design, seemed to be under attack...

There was streaks of electricity running through the cracks and shooting out, but the metal was mostly containing the electricity and preventing it from ignoring the wood beyond it.

Danny had seen the door before, and when he asked Vlad about it he'd simply said he was not to go near it, as it could be dangerous inside the room or outside.

The ghosts boy's curiosity was suddenly overwhelming and he neared the door, wary of the streaks of light and shocking electricity, and listened.

He heard nothing at first, but then he could just make out a short and muffled grunt before more volts poured out and around the door. Danny's eyes widened and he couldn't help but go ghost, turning intangible and phasing through the door.

Unfortunately, he chose the wrong place and wrong time to do so.

A panicked as he saw Vlad, in ghost form, turn and thrust an electrically charged arm out in his direction and fire, only to gasp and his ruby red eyes go wide when they landed on Danny.

"Daniel!"

Danny tried to move out of the way and go intangible again, but the bolt was too fast, and it caught him on his right side. Danny gasped as the electricity shot up his chest and down his leg and he fell to the ground with a hiss of pain.

"You reckless boy!" Vlad chided indignantly, coming over to him and waiting for him to stop twitching before he knew it was safe to touch him without causing more pain. "That was almost point-blank range and a level 6 electric bolt."

"D-dunno what that means," Danny rasped. "But I know it hurt. Ever heard of overdoing it Plasmius?"

Vlad rolled his eyes and pulled the boy up to stand and let him lean against the wall. Danny finally got a good look at the huge room and realized that the whole place was covered in plants, there were at least a dozen fully grown trees planted around them!

"I wasn't trying to kill an opponent, I was attempting to strike the metal and control the electricity while it was moving through the conduit." Vlad replied, placing his hand on the door and letting a few sparks fly through the metal as example.

"Why are there trees in here?"

"Honestly Daniel, did you even take science?" Vlad shook his head. "I suppose the simplest answer is: wood may not be a prime conductor of electricity, but that's what makes it so important to master. One must have no weaknesses."

Danny considered calling Vlad a cheese head, but swallowed it down after recalling his last attempt to tease the man. So he settled for the next best thing.

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Danny muttered, pushing off the wall. His right side burned like he'd been stung by a swarm of wasps, but luckily he was in ghost form and he was sure it wasn't fetal. As Vlad had said, thankfully he hadn't been aiming to kill.

"Alright, can you walk?" Vlad said, noticing how Danny leaned his weight to his left side. The boy's suit had been singed and a clear burn was visible on his abdomen's right side.

Danny tried to move his right leg out in front of him but a spark of pain shot up his leg and he winced. Geez, that attack had packed a punch.

Vlad sighed and was about to scoop up the teenager when Danny anticipated his motives and leaned away from him.

"Um, I could just use an arm, if you don't mind." Danny said with a hint of sarcasm. Vlad resisted the urge to again roll his eyes and as Daniel reached around him to steady himself with a grip on his cape Vlad used his left arm to support the younger ghost's right side.

Together the two made it about halfway to Vlad's infirmary before Danny's pain was too aggravated to continue. However when Vlad suggested he simply teleport them the rest of the way, Danny refused.

"Your stubbornness is going to permanently injure you Daniel, let me teleport us!" Vlad argued as Danny yet again phased through his grip.

"I said no! I can float a little, and it doesn't hurt as much, I can fly the rest of the way there myself!" Danny protested.

"Oh for the love of-" Vlad stopped and took a deep breath. He hesitated a moment, a thought about what Godfrey would do...

"Daniel," Vlad tone was low and stern as he kept a steady gaze on the boy. "Your body isn't at its best even without the injury, and your energy regeneration is irregular. Even if you could hover, you wouldn't make it to the second floor without passing out."

Danny glared harshly at the billionaire. He knew his ghost half was having issues, but he wasn't weak! The fruitloop just wouldn't stop being overbearing and paranoid! But before he could retaliate with a verbal assault, Vlad continued.

"To be quite honest, you're lucky you aren't over my knee this very moment for that stunt. I know I specifically told you not to enter that room under any circumstances. Serves you right for disobeying me, that injury." Vlad saw the flustered anger in the teen's eyes and the reddening of his cheeks and hurriedly grasped the boy's good arm and teleported them to the infirmary.

"Hey!" Danny cried after he got over the sudden dizziness from the power.

Vlad ignored him and instead kept his grip tight and forced Danny onto one of the beds. Danny was forced to lay on his left side and glared at Vlad the whole time he worked to find something in a glass cabinet at the far end of the room. He had to admit though, his side hurt like hell. It had been stupid to go into that crazy room.

When Vlad returned Danny's scowl turned into a frustrated frown when he saw Vlad holding what looked like his regular energy shots, but... bigger.

"Seriously?" Danny Said with a groan. He proceeded to roll up his sleeve when Vlad stopped him and gestured to his abdomen.

"This is to be injected directly to your core. It will make the process faster." Vlad explained.

Danny bit his lip as he rolled onto his back and exposed his front. He was slightly wary but nevertheless allowed Vlad to steady the needle and pierce his chest through the jumpsuit material and into his core. It stung and Danny had to swallow down a wince but it was over quickly and Vlad was quick and efficient with getting it done.

He had to admit it felt like his core was being wrapped with new strength and he could already feel his pain ebbing away after several moments. He sat up after a few minutes and noticed it didn't take as much of an effort, but he was definitely still sore.

"I am still tempted to punish you," Vlad said, relishing in the annoyed look Danny gave him. "But I believe this experience was punishment enough. However do try and stay out of any rooms I tell you are off-limits from now on, hmm?"

"Yeah yeah, I get it already. Can I go now?" Danny said.

Vlad nodded and watched as Danny slowly but much more easily walked out of the room and in the opposite direction of the home theater the boy had no doubt been going to mess around with.

The half ghost sighed and changed into his human form. Thinking about how his heart had all but stopped when he saw Daniel right in the path of his attack. If the boy hadn't had enough common sense to move he would have teleported and had to take the bolt himself, not that he didn't already know how to disperse any electricity used on him and turn it into energy. However, it was his aggravating feeling of panic that was causing him frustration. When did he start caring about the ghost boy? Daniel was only here with him because he had to be. The teenager still thought of him as an enemy.

But Vlad was finding it harder and harder to keep seeing Daniel that way, and much more difficult to not long to see him as his apprentice, or-dare he say it- his own son. He knew he at least deserved that right infinitely more than Jack Fenton did. If only fate wasn't so unkind.

Danny sighed in contentment as he finished up the sandwich he'd asked the cook to make for him and sank into a lawn chair by the sparkling pool in the large backyard of the master's mansion. It had taken him half an hour but he'd finally convinced Godfrey to let him go outside alone, once the ghost had seen him leaving he'd insisted he accompany the halfa around. Apparently he was 'concerned about mischievous teenagers sniffing about where they shouldn't be'. Danny eventually got the overprotective butler to calm down and leave him alone, but he had in turn promised to only stay in the yard areas and not venture out into the area that stretched on into a man-made wood. Although they lived in Amity Vlad still managed to find the most private house he could.

Danny was very frustrated with how he was being treated, but he decided to deal with it in turn for relaxing and letting his bare toes dip into the cold water.

He didn't want to think about his situation, he would only come up short anyway. He was always confused with what had happened to him and the more he thought about it the less it made sense. Vlad thy was the only sane person who was close to figuring it out. He had to admit, deducing that his mother had been controlled... Danny wouldn't have thought of that. All he wanted to know was his target, and which fist he should swing first.

Danny lay back with his hands folded behind his head and closed his eyes. It was so easy sometimes to simply pretend everything was fine, that he was just kidnapped by Vlad, and he was going to be the hero again and beat the bad guy.

But like in every fantasy, reality comes to shatter it eventually.

Danny felt a wisp of blue seep out of his mouth and he cracked his eyes open in a glare. Didn't he tell Godfrey to leave him alone?

"Go 'way Godfrey." He said, staring at the sunny sky.

"Funny, I didn't know he was with us."

Danny frowned. Of course, the fruitloop couldn't leave him alone for five minutes!

"What do you want Vlad?" Danny demanded in an irritated grumble.

Vlad let out a calming sigh at the teen's attitude and sat in the chair beside him. He'd thought quite a lot after Daniel had left, and he couldn't allow things to continue as they were.

"Daniel, I have been thinking- ah ah, don't you dare comment!- and I believe it is your best interest to...get out of the house for a bit. Find something stimulating to do for a day."

At first Danny was incapable of words. Then, he growled and sat up with a glare. Vlad knew how he felt about being exposed like that. He had to be trying to get rid of him!

"If you want me gone, just say so! Our are you just trying to get me outta here for a while so I don't find out about some diabolical plan of yours?" Danny snapped at the billionaire.

"You arrogant little- I never said you had to leave!" Vlad replied. "I simply cannot let you continue doing nothing but schooling with me to stimulate you. You're a teenager, as you so often like to point out, so you need to get out and do things."

"No way, I'll get found. There's no possible way a town this small wouldn't notice me after being gone and not say something."

"For pity's sake Daniel, you're being paranoid!" Vlad pressed, standing up. He glared, his eyes matching the irritated look he was receiving.

"I'm being cautious! I got caught once Vlad. Once. And it's cost me too much already. I can't let it happen again!" Danny yelled.

"I assure you Daniel and give you an honest word that the chances of your family finding you is close to none." Vlad said sincerely but with a frown at his growing temper. "Now, whether you like it or not, you'll have to get out eventually. You were just fine when we went to the television studio."

Danny, now equally angry and ready to argue, stood and glared daggers at Vlad. He wasn't as intimidating as he wanted to be however, after all he was still a whole head and shoulders shorter than the man. And though he didn't look it now, Danny knew under that prissy suit were tough and deadly muscles he didn't want to mess with in human form. Still, his pride was on the line here, and he wouldn't let a fruitloop damage his hard won ego!

"Yeah right Plasmius! As if your word means anything to me!" Danny shouted. "And you were around during the tv thing, and I knew how important it was!" Vlad scowled, no longer in the mood for teasing.

"Perhaps if you actually looked after yourself a time or two you wouldn't be in this position in the first place!" Vlad replied with venom. "Now quit being stubborn!"

"I said no! I'm not going out there and you can't make me."

"This silly phobia of yours is downright detrimental to your well-being!" Vlad argued. "It's a large town for pity's sake, your parents will not find you as long as you are careful."

"There's no way you can be sure of that!" Danny persisted. "You didn't think they'd find me here, yet they almost did. It's only a matter of time Vlad, and I'm not about to make it shorter."

Vlad opened his mouth to retort, when suddenly, his cell phone started to ring. Danny smirked and gestured for the man to answer it, but the expression that crossed Vlad's face as the billionaire saw the caller ID almost worried him. Vlad quickly answered and brought the thing to his ear, pinning Danny with a stare that clearly told him to stay there.

"Hello, Jasmine." Vlad greeted.

Danny dropped his tensed up stance and unconsciously moved a step closer to hear his sister's voice. It had only been a few short days, but he already was feeling homesick with the loneliness that seemed to shroud the mansion in which he currently lived.

'Hello, Masters. My brother's friends and I need to meet up with Danny at the Nasty Burger, if you haven't already used him as a science experiment. My genius brother left his phone here, so I've hunted down your number instead.'

It was Vlad's turn to smirk and he drew his victorious gaze into Danny's annoyed eyes. Danny crossed his arms and looked away, still listening. As if he was going to let the fruitloop get under his skin.

"Ah, what marvelous timing. I was just in the process of convincing your dear brother to do the same." Vlad replied, all but laughing.

'Convince? Why would Danny not want to leave? What did you do Plasmius?!'

Vlad winced at the shout in his ear and Danny chuckled. His sister may have gotten the wrong idea, but if it made the fruitloop suffer, so be it.

"Oh, I've done nothing. What the paranoid child is afraid of, is being discovered." Vlad said, his eyes locking with Danny's.

"What? I'm not afr-!"

Vlad quickly put his fingers to his lips with a piercing gaze. Danny grit his teeth in anger and scowled. The billionaire ignored him and continued.

"Surely you along with Daniel's friends can dispel any-"

'Why don't you just come with us?'

Danny opened his mouth to object but Vlad beat him to it.

"I've far too much to do besides babysitting I assure you, Jasmine."

And indeed, he did. There were plenty of things he could be tending to in that span of time. Vlad couldn't help but feel annoyed by the suggestion however. How embarrassing it would be if the candidate for mayor was seen escorting four rowdy, loud-mouthed adolescents into a lowly fast-food restaurant, if it could even be called a 'restaurant'.

'Like what, fantasizing about your perfect evil family?'

Jazz's quick and witty answer caught him off guard and Vlad scowled for only a moment before his expression turned into an amused one with a glance to Daniel. The teen looked thoroughly bothered and that was enough for Vlad. Quickly gaining his composure, Vlad answered Jazz.

"...Touche."

Danny snickered as quietly as possible before thinking over Jazz's idea. He sure as heck would be one high strung hero if he was forced to go out with no ghostly back up. He was caught once, he didn't want it to happen again.

"I'll do it if you're there, but not with you in the open." Danny said, and Jazz seemed to have heard him.

'Danny? Don't worry little brother, we won't let them near you. But if having the cheese head around to keep an eye out helps any, so be it.'

"Now see here you-!" Vlad began to object, but Danny quickly interrupted, paying him no mind.

"Alright, I trust you guys, and I was getting really bored here anyways. Vlad can keep watch outside the place while we talk."

"I don't recall agreeing to do such a thing!" Vlad said indignantly.

'Great, we'll get together tomorrow morning. 10 sharp, okay Danny? well gotta go, see ya!'

The line disconnected and Vlad glared at the teen before him. These Fenton's really knew how to push his buttons!

"Well, I hope you're happy, now you can continue doing absolutely nothing in your bored state until morning." Vlad said, his voice very clearly annoyed.

"Hm, I think I can find something." Danny said, taking two steps backwards at the same time phasing out of his shoes.

Danny quickly and without ceremony stretched out his arms and fell backwards. His back was met with water and he held his breath as he fell into the pool. He remained still for a few moments, allowing the bubbles swim around him to the surface. He let the cool liquid cover him in wetness before he quickly turned once fully submerged and swam to the surface, giving the cringing billionaire a crazed smile.

"What? It's hot out here."

"...Indeed." Vlad said sarcastically, backing away in case the teen got it into his head to grab him or worse, splash his new suit. "And you know you are not to track water into my house, correct?"

Danny didn't hesitate in using his powers to fly out and turned intangible and let the droplets of water fall away. Now fully dry, Danny gave an impressive smirk in Vlad's direction.

"Ghost powers, duh-doi!"

* * *

It was close to dinner time now, and Vlad was sitting in his lab, finishing the final touches on a rather unimpressive piece of technology. Though by his standards a functional, million dollar spacecraft was perfectly unimpressive. He had been planning to give this 'gift' of sorts to Daniel tonight, however with their plans to go out now set for the following morning, he was torn between waiting for them to present the boy with the device.

On the outside, it seemed like a normal-albeit high end-cellphone, but Vlad had done quite a few modifications to it. For starters, the outer layer was extra solid, allowing it to be dropped, smashed, or-in occasional cases- shot with ectoplasm with no breakage or shattering. There was also a tracking device installed, however he didn't exactly plan on telling Daniel about that part. The phone could pick up and notify him about energy usage in the area as well, allowing Vlad to know if Danny was using his powers or possibly being attacked.

Vlad sighed softly and stood, taking the device with him. Might as well let the boy figure out how it worked before expecting him to use it the following morning. Besides, it was time for dinner, which was when Danny seemed to be in a better mood. He might actually accept the phone without a fuss. Ah, how a full stomach tames even the most savage of beasts.

When the halfa entered the dining room he wasn't surprised to find Daniel already there and most definitely not waiting up for him. Vlad decided to avoid sitting at the head of the table as he usually did, and sit beside the younger half ghost, who fancied sitting at least three seats away from him.

Danny barely looked up when his archenemy entered the room, but he did frown in annoyance when he didn't sit where he normally was, and instead moved the plate set out for him to his left hand side. Danny tried his best to ignore him, he'd rather not anger the man while Danny had yet to finish his food. He didn't like fighting on an empty stomach.

"I'm sure you're excited for tomorrow." Came a pathetic attempt at conversation from Vlad.

Danny wanted to scoff, or be sarcastic, or even roll his eyes in the way he knew Vlad hated. Instead, he squashed down those feelings and sat back a bit, away from where he'd been inhaling his food. If there was one thing he would miss in Vlad's place, it would be the cook. This steak was delicious.

"I guess I am." Danny answered.

Vlad decided to throw caution to the wind and pulled the phone out, setting it down beside Danny's plate. Before Danny could say anything, Vlad spoke in a casual tone,

"You'll get more use out of this than that barely kept together box of wires you have at home." With a second of hesitation Vlad continued, "My number is already there should you need it... for tomorrow of course."

Danny wanted to reject it, he desperately wanted to throw it far, far away. Who knew what kind of tech Vlad had stashed away in the little harmless looking device? Danny let his thoughts drift to his own cell phone left at FentonWorks up in his bedroom and frowned. He knew it wasn't the best thing in the world, but it had survived this long... Still, he was severely tempted to accept Vlad's...gift? Was this a gift from Vlad? A bribe maybe? Did the fruitloop expect him to be all creepy and apprentice-like now?

"Stop thinking so hard Daniel, honestly." Vlad said with a twinge of annoyance. "It is just a simple gift, just take it."

Danny picked up the phone with hesitance until he was comfortable enough seeing that it wouldn't explode on his contact. The superhero side of him was clashing with his emotional, traumatized side at the moment as he thought of what to say. He thought of expressing gratitude, but the jerk would most likely just pass it off as his hero complex or some other nonsense and ignore any thank you's given to him. If he rejected it, he would be branded as rebellious and ungrateful and most likely another argument would break out, one Danny wasn't willing to commit to at the moment.

"I..." Danny fought for the right words before just shrugging and saying, "Alright."

"Brilliant."

"One more thing." Vlad said conversationally. "The elections are happening on Monday, I do hope you're ready, it will be a long day."

Danny simply nodded, and thankfully Vlad didn't push for any further conversation. The rest of their meal was carried on in silence, which neither of them was especially upset about. Danny was finally starting to get excited about the following day, while on the flip side Vlad was planning how he would survive. Either way, it was sure to be an eventful morning.

* * *

Maddie Fenton stood in front of the glowing green portal in the lab with a frown on her face and tense posture. Again and again, she prayed for the voices to stop. The voices in her head that were so full of hate, and the one shouting at her to hurt her son, was the loudest of all.

She had felt off ever since that ghost had sealed and closed their deal after Phantom- no, Danny- had been in their custody. It was as if a switch had been flipped and she'd had absolutely no control of herself. But the feeling, the thrill of having a specimen so unique under her knife...was entirely too real.

'You know you want to hurt him, to cut him open and play with him till he can't scream for mercy-'

"No!" Maddie said aloud, before slapping a gloved hand over her mouth and shaking her head to clear it. She wouldn't hurt him. She could control herself, she was the genius ghost hunter of Amity!

She turned and left the soft, toxic glow of the portal behind in favor of ascending to the primary floor, and then to the stairs to her bedroom. She needed to rest.

'Danny? Don't worry little brother, we won't let them near you. But if having the cheese head around to keep an eye out helps any, so be it.'

Maddie stopped dead in her tracks. This time the voices were screaming at her. Her daughter was in her room, which she had just been passing, talking to...no it couldn't be!

Maddie cracked the door open and peered inside. Unfortunately, Jazz was the only one there. However her cellphone was most certainly grabbing Maddie's attention.

'Great, we'll get together tomorrow morning. 10 sharp, okay Danny? well gotta go, see ya!'

Maddie jumped out of sight and swiftly left the hall to her shared bedroom where her husband was eating fudge and humming to himself contentedly. His smile brightened when he saw her and gave her a wave instead of a hello since his mouth was overly full.

Maddie barely noticed. Her mind was racing. Her son, her only son and what could be the only half ghost in existence, and her daughter was meeting up with him tomorrow. She could very well storm into her daughter's room and trace her last call...

'No,' She thought grimly. Her daughter was too smart for her own good. She would have thought of that, Maddie was sure of it. 'I will have to follow her. I'll lie in wait for him, he'll never see me coming.'

With a concrete plan in mind, she headed to the lab to get to work. New inventions would have to be made, her son knew about most of their technology and how to use it against her to risk taking the same ones. She supposed it all made sense now, his sudden interest in all their paranormal activities since it greatly affected him without their knowledge.

Maddie worked late into the evening, her mind solely focused on her goal. Her son. It was odd to still have half of herself that wanted nothing more than to find him and hunt him down then tear him to pieces, and the other half that was dying to hold him in her arms like she had when he was young, and promise he would never be hurt again. But the voices wouldn't let her, she felt like a zombie, unable to do anything but what she knew.

Sadly, what she knew...was how to hunt and kill ghosts.

* * *

Danny looked over his new phone one last time before setting it down on his nightstand. He was sure he sensed something ghostly about it, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was too excited to get out of the mansion. Besides, as long as Vlad was vigilant in his place he could let himself relax enough to talk and hang out with his friends for a while.

He yawned and lay down on his bed with a contented sigh. He was not going to try and stay up for a while, he needed to sleep if he was going to face his fears and go out in the morning.

With that final thought in mind, Danny closed his eyes and swiftly fell into dreamland.

_He was hot, like he'd been stuffed into an oven. Why was it so hot? There was a reason he shouldn't be warm, but what was it? Wait, he was a ghost, a half ghost...what were those again?_

" _We meet again, my little half-breed."_

_Danny suddenly gasped and found himself seated in a dark room that looked very similar to the rooms where criminals were interrogated in movies. He blinked as a lamp glared down on him and squinted in the light, trying to distinguish who had just spoken. He felt dizzy, like he couldn't think straight. He could hear a faint clinking of metal, an all too familiar sound._

_"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Danny asked, he tried to yell his words but it was as if he couldn't bring himself to break the softness of the pitch black room with a single light._

_"You should have figured it out by now, how disappointing." The voice, dark and smooth, spoke before a ripple formed all around them and both he and the dark figure were now standing in the kitchen at the Fenton's._

_Danny looked around and saw his parents. They seemed to be arguing about something, but he couldn't hear them. Danny had a sinking feeling he knew what it was they were yelling about. There was a tightness in his chest, as if it was slowly constricting him. The ghost seemed to sense his fear and sighed._

_"When will you understand your existence only damages the lives of others? And this-" The scene changed to the college reunion where he and Vlad had met. "Only proves my point. You both can only cause disaster."_

_He saw himself and Vlad fighting and cringed when Vlad threw him through a wall, creating a large hole. Danny still couldn't think straight, his vision was slowly going blurry. The ghost was saying something, but he could just barely make out the last part._

_"-So I'll use you to dispose of him for me."_

_Dispose of who? He didn't dispose of anyone, he was a hero! Wait, what was that again? It was important! Why couldn't he remember!?_

_Suddenly the gentle sound of metal grew louder and borderline deafening in his ears and he slapped his eyes over them desperately. The sound of dragging chains and now his parents vocal fight were screaming at him and Danny was forced to drop to his knees._

_"Danny!" He heard more voices call his name._

_"Daniel!"_

_"Wake up! Daniel!"_

_"Stop it!" Danny screamed in torment._

"Daniel, breathe!"

Danny's eyes snapped open and he gasped as felt air rush through his lungs, providing him with much needed oxygen. His toxic green irises landed on the billionaire above him, gripping his shoulders and watching him warily.

"I-I'm okay." Danny choked out. The last thing he needed was for Vlad to think he couldn't go to meet up with his friends and sister.

"You most certainly are not." Vlad replied in a stern but soft voice that he seemed to reserve just for Danny.

"What...what was I doing?" Danny asked, trying to change the subject.

"You were thrashing about and screaming your head off." Vlad said. "Then you stopped breathing. Luckily I was able to jump start your ghost core with some of my own energy and get you to change into your ghost form. That's what woke you."

Danny sat upright and Vlad eased off him, though he remained close by in case he was needed. Danny looked down at himself and noticed it was true. He was ghost. Vlad frowned and addressed the boy.

"Perhaps...tomorrow is not the best time to-"

"No!" Danny cut in. He wouldn't let Vlad's paranoia ruin this for him now. "I'm fine, it was just a dream. A stupid dream."

Vlad sighed and felt a twinge of anger at how worried he had been that he could not save Daniel just moments ago. He had been frantic, grabbing the boy and yelling for him to wake once more. Vlad suddenly gripped Daniel's forearm and pulled him forward just enough to expose his pajama-covered rear end. Without hesitating, he brought his hand down twice in rapid succession before allowing the halfa to sit down again.

 _"Ow!_ What was that for?!" Danny cried, resisting the urge to reach back and rub out the sting.

"For worrying me." Vlad said simply. He formed a ball of energy in his hands for light, and looked at Daniel to see if he really wasn't suffering any effects of the lack of oxygen.

What he saw though, was Danny look at the light and instantly go lethargic and calm. Vlad raised an eyebrow and came closer to him. Danny seemed to lean into the orb and Vlad was shocked to see a bright green light emitting from Daniel's chest.

"Daniel, did your core feel drained when you were in the dream?" Vlad asked.

Danny's eyebrows creased in thought. He remembered he was dizzy, and his chest had hurt as well, like he couldn't breathe...but under it all, he did generally feel weak.

"Y-yeah I guess so, why? What does that mean?" Danny replied. He was slightly panicked but the energy Vlad was using in front of him was like stepping into a warm bath and having all your muscles instantly relax.

Vlad hesitated. If he was right, he would once again feel the need to ask Daniel about the lab and his mother, which would only result in Daniel being more closed off than usual since the boy decided to keep the final piece of the puzzle all to himself.

The billionaire sighed silently and intensified the energy in his hand till it turned a deep pink, almost red. He brought it to Danny's chest and just as he thought he would, Danny slumped down into the touch and his eyes began to close. Vlad was certain now,

There was something seriously wrong with the halfa's ghost energy. He was certain it had been his core alone, but now he was seeing a bigger picture. But what did not make sense to the older man was whatever Maddie did to him should no longer be affecting the teen, especially not to his extent, where he craved any ectoplasmic energy in the vicinity.

As Danny fell asleep with a sigh of contentment and one final slump forward, Vlad pondered his options. As he lay his ward down in his normal sleeping position and resisted the urge to actually tuck him in he wondered whether the nightmares Daniel had been having recently had a meaning. He then realized, he had never asked what the dream had been about.

"Oh, Daniel, what's happening to you?"

* * *

 

**_Next Chapter: An unexpected intruder attempts to capture Danny at the Nasty Burger_ **

* * *

 


	10. Meeting

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 10: Meeting**

The morning of the teen's outing couldn't come fast enough for Jazz Fenton. For the first few days since coming back from Vlad's she had felt like a prisoner in her own home, but soon began to feel more like a spy, and it lightened her mood greatly. She couldn't wait to see her brother again, to make sure he was okay, and to update everyone on their plans and whereabouts. It felt good to have a plan, even better that it could possibly stop the machines and inventions that her parents made that would indirectly if not completely directly hurt Danny. She wasn't so keen on becoming temporary allies with Vlad Masters, but at the moment she didn't quite have a choice.

She had assumed that it would be hard to leave her house that morning, even though she had told her parents she was leaving for a 'school project' with friends. Her mother hadn't seemed suspicious, but Jazz was a mediocre liar at best. She couldn't imagine how Danny would feel doing it almost everyday, albeit for a good cause.

As Jazz quickly dressed and went downstairs she wasn't surprised to find her mother awake and tinkering at the kitchen table with an...odd looking weapon.

It was shaped like a gun, but alongside the barrel was what looked like a nozzle, that her mother seemed to be testing. It emitted a strange, green mist, and smelled faintly familiar, but Jazz couldn't decipher where she'd smelled it before.

"Morning..." Jazz said. The tension between them was immense. The teenager wanted nothing more than to call the police and have the two of them locked up, so great was her feeling of injustice, but for her innocent little brother's sake she refrained from doing anything of the sort.

"Morning sweetie," Maddie replied, looking up to address her. "Have you heard from your brother? He shouldn't bother Tucker's parents for too long staying over there..."

Maddie wanted to scowl at how high pitched her voice sounded. She knew her son was diseased, and hiding from her despite her ability to cure him. She just didn't know where he was, but somehow Jazz knew. The voice...as much as she hated it, had not steered her wrong yet, and it had been the one to tell her that Jazz knew about Danny's whereabouts. She had followed its instructions to pretend she had 'forgot' she had done anything to Danny, and luckily, no one had seen through her lie yet.

"He's a teenager that needs social interaction mom." Jazz snapped, hating how she had to pretend she was still Maddie's loyal daughter. "He will come home when he's ready."

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "If you say so sweetie."

Jazz quickly and efficiently stashed some ghost fighting gear in her bag and headed for the door, calling to her mother over her shoulder. "I'll be back later!"

However before she could leave Jack walked into the room with a square of fudge in-hand.

"You goin' somewhere Jazzy-pants?" He asked curiously.

Jazz resisted the urge to scowl. She had once thought the aloof attitude of her father was endearing, now it was only a hindrance. "Just to meet some friends from school. I won't be gone long."

Jack looked confused at the sharpness of her tone but otherwise ignored it. She was probably in a hurry. "Alrighty, hurry back now, wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to hear me blather on about ghosts!"

Jazz didn't respond and simply left the house as quickly as she could. What she was not aware of, was Maddie watching her carefully the entire time.

'She's definitely hiding something.' Maddie thought. 'Jazz never was a good liar either.'

Maddie rose from the table and quickly began to get ready to leave in pursuit of her daughter. Jack immediately protested.

"Aw, don't tell me you're leaving too?" Jack pouted. "Who'll listen to me blather on about ghosts?"

Maddie smiled sympathetically and gave her husband a peck on the cheek. "I only want to run a few errands. I'll even be back before Jazz arrives home."

Jack smiled at that and let her leave in peace, content to tinker with ghost equipment while his family was away.

Jazz arrived at the Nasty Burger precisely on time, and was not surprised to see Sam already there with a tired looking Tucker beside her.

"Morning you two, have you seen you-know-who yet?" Jazz said once she neared them.

Tucker shook his head and Sam rolled her eyes while replying, "Danny's not a criminal, honestly, you can at least say his name."

Jazz raised an eyebrow as she sat down. "Someone's touchy today."

Sam sighed and seemed to relax a little, a bit of the tension in her shoulders releasing as she breathed deeply.

"I'm sorry Jazz, I'm just anxious to see him you know?" Sam said in a subdued voice.

Jazz nodded in understanding. She hadn't been away from her brother that long, but she was already missing his presence. He was her little brother after all.

Just then Tucker perked up significantly and gave a goofy grin to the area behind her. Jazz turned and sure enough Danny had walked into the Nasty Burger and found them instantly.

"Hey dude, long time no see." Tucker said as Danny sat beside Jazz and in front of Sam. Sam seemed to lose her ability to speak for a moment before she too greeted her friend.

"Hi Danny," Sam started, then looked him up and down. She continued with a teasing grin. "Well, doesn't someone look like a rich kid."

Danny blushed and pulled at the collar of his shirt, recalling how Vlad had forced him to redress several times because he had tried to wear as much as possible to hide his scars and bruises. Finally the billionaire had ended up all but forcing him into a black collared shirt and denim, designer jeans. Luckily he was allowed to keep his beloved sneakers and a long sleeved shirt, and though Vlad had tried to tame his wild hair it- just like his personality- was stubborn and remained messy.

"Uh, yeah, I don't exactly have my normal wardrobe on-hand so..." Danny muttered.

"I think you look great," Jazz said. "By the way, where's the fruitloop?"

Danny looked away, trying not to laugh. "Oh he's...keeping an eye out."

* * *

Plasmius sat atop the fast food establishment with a sullen look of utter discontentment. Oh the amount if things he could have been doing had he been at home, or working, or even managing his silly campaign. The election itself was only a couple days away, and he had yet to inform Daniel he would need his ghost half's presence in support during that time. He doubted Daniel would be excited to once again be in the public eye but without Phantom's obvious support it would be difficult at best to beat his opponent in votes. It was also the quickest way to victory.

Vlad surveyed the people heading in and out of the fast food place with mild interest. He sincerely hoped the favors he was doing for Daniel payed off in the end. Vlad Masters was not a man to walk out of a deal empty handed, and what he was working towards, his goal even, was obviously Daniel at his side. He could be arrogant and say he already technically had the boy at his side, but he wasn't content with the half ghost's physical presence only. He wanted Daniel to want to be around him, learn from him, look up to him, hang off his every word. Ah, how one could dream.

Plasmius was about to sigh when he caught sight of a certain human woman below. He couldn't see her at first, but as a crowd of rowdy college students clamored past, Vlad was sure his heightened sight wasn't wrong. Maddie had found them.

His first instinct was to head inside and get Daniel far away, but with the teen's tendency to question authority and be overly stubborn, not to mention his equally belligerent friends, Vlad knew he couldn't barge in the restaurant without revealing who was watching them and causing Daniel to panic. That left him no other choice than to deal with the possessed woman he loved on his own.

Plasmius turned invisible and flew down to where Maddie was standing outside the Nasty Burger, staring at it with a critical eye. Vlad could sense the presence of another ghost around her, but it was too faint for him to pinpoint its location or power level. He watched as Maddie surveyed her surroundings once more and started for the entrance. Vlad quickly turned visible, hooking his arm around hers and spinning her around before giving the hunter a firm shove towards the parking lot and turning invisible once again. However, he didn't quite turn invisible fast enough it seemed. She gaped at the glimpse of blue skin and white suit she had managed to catch.

"The Wisconsin Ghost?!" Maddie gasped. "What are you doing here, spook? Show yourself!"

Vlad cringed at the nickname and rubbed his temple. This would be harder than he thought. He swooped down and used a rope of pink energy to pull Maddie backwards and out of easy view before revealing himself and smirking at her.

His priority was getting her far away from the teenagers inside the Nasty Burger, especially one certain halfa. As predicted, Maddie's temper flared and she pulled a gun from her hip to fire at him. By now people around the fast food establishment had seen them and run in terror, but thankfully no one inside the restaurant had seen them yet. Vlad dodged a few shots fired at his head and flew a little farther from the hunter, shouting over his shoulder.

"My my, with that aim I almost mistook you for your monstrous husband." He quipped.

Maddie grit her teeth and quickly fired another round at Plasmius, one successfully hitting him in the shoulder. He shook it off quickly and with little effort, but pretended it had wounded him so she would proceed to chase him. Despite this Maddie had seen what Plasmius was capable of and the female ghost hunter realized she didn't have enough time to defeat this high-level ghost and find her children.

"I didn't come here for you, so I'll make this quick and simple." Maddie sneered up at the half-ghost. "You can fly away now, and live to see tomorrow, or I can capture you and have you dissected till you're screaming for mercy."

Vlad's eyes narrowed at the image of a battered, bruised Daniel and he growled. The sick, twisted mind of whatever ghost was behind the scenes of this circumstance was beginning to disgust even him. He had known for a while that Daniel had dangerous and murderous enemies, however the lengths that this ghost was willing to go through...were astounding at best.

Vlad couldn't control his temper and found the urge to snap at her, "Dissect me? Like you did to your son?"

"I don- _wait_ , how do you know about Danny?!" Maddie seemed to get hysterical. "Why are you here anyway? Are you the one hiding him from me?! I can fix him! He should be safe with me at home!"

Vlad wanted to kick himself for letting his emotions make the woman suspicious, but instead he simply shot a poorly aimed ectoblast at Maddie to divert her attention from interrogations to survival. He flew at her and she quickly dodged right, pulling her ecto staff from her belt and ditching the gun for melee combat. Vlad swung at her with the intention of knocking her out, but she caught the movement in time and ducked down, tackling him to the ground. Plasmius phased through her and pinned her to the dirt as gravity pulled her down, and grabbed her staff. He quickly threw it away before addressing her.

"You cannot fix what isn't broken." he said, before striking her neck quickly and knocking her unconscious.

Vlad sighed and gripped her limp body in a tight hold, hoisting her into his arms and flying as fast as he could to a safe area with plenty of cover for when she woke up. Plasmius turned toward the Nasty Burger, now almost a whole block away, and turned human. He didn't believe there would be any more danger, but he would rather be safe than sorry and would tell Daniel and his friends their little meeting had been compromised.

* * *

"So according to this, Vlad's practically got the whole town's popular vote by default, and his ratings haven't faltered since he started running."

Danny stared at the graph on Tucker's PDA in mild interest. He knew he should feel proud that he had helped achieve that high reputation for Vlad as a politician, but he was reminded of the promise he had made to the man if he was to win, and while he was rooting for Vlad's victory, Danny wasn't thrilled to follow through with staying at Vlad's and laying low for another long couple of weeks or even more should the fruitloop win.

"It makes sense, he's a well-known business icon and he's got that silver tongue of his to convince the people of anything." Jazz agreed.

"We shouldn't assume he's going to win yet. There's still the election coming up." Danny said, his eyes wandering to the window. "Even if he does win, that's only the beginning of the plan."

Sam stared at her friend with obvious concern. Since Danny had walked into the Nasty Burger there had been a tired, subdued attitude around him. The deep bruises under his eyes did not help his image, along with the nervous habit he'd seemed to develop of tugging at his collar and cuffs. If Sam had to guess, she would think he was making sure neither of the other two around them could see his still fresh-looking scars. They were most noticeable on his wrists if she recalled, which at the moment were hidden under the table...

"Hey, Danny." Sam called, putting her hands palm-up on the table. "Gimme your hands.

Danny looked dumbfounded for a few seconds before slowly raising his arms from underneath the table. He was used to Sam's sometimes confusing requests, but he had an idea where she was going with it this time. Though he was very reluctant, he didn't dare refuse his friend (she was kind of known to be aggressive...) and carefully rested his hands on hers.

"Geez Sam, you gonna propose to him now?" Tucker teased. Only a second later he yelped and jumped up a bit, having received a swift kick to his shin via combat boot. Danny laughed at his friend's rightfully earned pain, even though his cheeks were slightly pink at his comment.

Sam took the opportunity of his distraction and pulled back his right sleeve. She had been right. The blue tinted scars were still criss crossing his skin in contrast to his pale coloring. Sam heard Jazz wince softly at the sight and Tucker seemed to sober up but other than that they remained silent. After a few moments Sam simply traced the jagged lines a bit with a slender finger before breaking the cloud of awkwardness.

"You shouldn't hide them, you know." Sam said. "Normally a teenage boy would beg his friend to punch him so he'd have a bruise to flaunt like a trophy to a pretty girl. Plus, that tight collar looks too obnoxious on you."

Jazz gave a loud huff of agreement. Her brother was more handsome than he gave himself credit for, anyway. No scars could change that. She would have given up her red-orange hair for Danny's jet black locks any day.

"Uh, what she said." Tucker said.

"Thanks you guys...I think," Danny mumbled, this time keaving his sleeve where it was. "Really."

As Sam reluctantly pulled away, she looked at Danny's blushing face and her eyebrows creased as a thought came to mind. However, before she could voice it, Jazz beat her to it.

"Since we're on the subject, you look really tired, Danny." Jazz said, and Sam was not surprised she wasn't the only one who noticed. "You sleeping alright at Vlad's?"

Danny frowned involuntarily while memories of his nightmares came to mind. He hated the fact that they affected him, even when he was awake. But he couldn't hide anything from his friends.

"I... it sounds stupid but..." Danny swallowed and forced himself to continue. "Whatever is affecting mom...may be targeting me in my dreams."

Sam frowned and stared at him in worry. "But it can't hurt you through a nightmare besides costing you sleep, right?"

"Apparently, whatever this is it's strong enough to force me to go into ghost form in my sleep, and crazy enough to make me fall 10 stories to what would've been my death had the fruitloop not been there." Danny explained with his eyes full of hate. He hated that this was his life now, and that he had become so weak that he couldn't even fight a ghost in his dreams and win.

Nothing in the dreams he'd had so far seemed to connect, except for that eerie, smooth voice and the horrible sound of clinking metal that Danny had quickly grown to hate. He was sure that the dreams meant something, but he just couldn't make sense of what it was he was supposed to comprehend. He also knew exactly who he should go to, but for his pride and embarrassment Danny couldn't find himself ever turning to Vlad for help deciphering them. Vlad already knew about a few of his nightmares, as he had been the one to wake him up from them, but the billionaire was clueless to the fact that they persisted, and Danny was content to keep it that way.

"Dude, that's beyond uncool." Tucker sympathized. "Keeping a man from his sleep is just plain cruel."

Jazz rolled her eyes and thought about her psychology studies. "Couldn't you metaphorically find a way to defeat him in your dreams, thus getting rid of them? It might not eradicate the ghost entirely but maybe you could weaken it that way or something."

"It sounds simple when you say it like that." Danny replied. "But he or she never shows their face. I don't even know what I need to target to fight. It's not one of Nocturne's dream machines where I have a simple way out and in with a clear objective. I don't know how this ghost fights, what kind level of power it has, or how to defeat it."

The trio in front of Danny all looked very much in deep thought, each waiting for the other to speak. This time it was Sam who replied first.

"An enemy that you can't see huh...?" She said. "What does it show you in your dreams, if not what it looks like? People? Places?"

Danny looked down with his eyebrows furrowed, trying for a moment to remember. Sam found the action oddly cute, but squashed down the feeling in place of her curiosity. Danny quickly seemed to realize the answer he was looking for because he looked back up and replied,

"Mostly people. Especially those closest to me."

Sam nodded. People were good, easy to target. "Then maybe you should fight them. It's just an illusion, right? Even if it doesn't hurt or hinder the enemy at least it'll stop it from using that person against you, right?"

"But what if that angers the ghost?" Tucker wondered. "What if it decided to really go after him, since it's plan to weaken Danny doesn't work anymore?"

"It's not like he can just ignore it Tucker!" Jazz snapped back. "We need some kind of offense, if the ghost can make Danny hurt himself in his sleep, it's a priority problem!"

As the teen's debated on the situation they were unaware that a certain billionaire had been listening in for the past few minutes. Vlad's mouth curved downwards at the topic the four were discussing and recalled the time where he had witnessed Daniel's state during a nightmare. He'd been in a state of panic the few times he'd seen him mid-dream, however Vlad was not entirely sure a ghost was causing the dreams.

The man was also considering the possibility that the sudden trauma the boy had suffered could have also caused the nightmares. The stress, depression and compromised health could have all been factors contributing to Daniel's current mental state and subconscious thoughts. Though the kids could be onto something, Vlad wasn't entirely convinced.

The half-ghost decided to now make his presence known and walked into the group's line of view, watching as one by one the arguing teen's went silent and either glared or stared apprehensively at him. He deeply desired to roll his eyes at the utter foolishness, but refrained from doing so.

"I'm afraid we must take our leave now, Daniel." Vlad informed him, hoping and praying to the Lord above that today would be the day the teenagers acted civil for once.

Danny seemed to understand and moved to get up, but Sam was suspicious. "It hasn't even been an hour, what's so important that you have to bring him back?" She asked.

Vlad looked at her fierce expression with his own passive gaze. Having Daniel living with him had taught him to be calm when dealing with belligerent teens and their unpredictable tempers.

"Daniel will be leaving with me now as I have deemed it no longer safe for him here." Vlad answered. "And since it has been my responsibility to make sure your little outing is not compromised you'd do well to listen to me."

Danny's eyes had snapped to his at the news that it was possibly unsafe for him to be there and Vlad could plainly see the look of concern and growing apprehension on the boy's face as he stood and stepped out of the booth almost immediately. However despite this Sam still couldn't fathom why her friend had to leave early.

"But we can-"

Jazz put a hand in her shoulder and smiled. "We can always keep in touch with Danny's new phone and it shouldn't be too hard to find another day to hang out, right Sam?"

Tucker nodded in agreement. "Yeah, besides I don't think the V-man would lie when he knows we'd kick his butt for it." He said as if it were obvious.

Sam backed down and looked away from Vlad to Danny. It was then that she noticed his tense body language and stance and she was quick to rebound.

"Yes, we'll just find a better time. Besides, the election is almost here, right?" She said. "Get some rest Danny. We'll see you soon."

Danny bid farewell to his friends and he and Vlad exited the Nasty Burger with thankfully no attention from reporters or political fanatics. They transformed and had started to fly back to the mansion when Danny began to interrogate Vlad.

"What was that about, really?" Danny questioned. "And don't give me any of that 'the outing was compromised' stuff, I want details."

Vlad stared ahead, but slowed down a bit in case Danny decided to go into full panic when he said, "Your mother knew you were there, she tried to get to you, but I got to her in time."

Danny thankfully didn't plummet out of the sky, but he did give Vlad a worried look. He was immensely thankful Vlad had been there, but the thought that his mother could have easily captured or killed him knowing he was in human form...it gave him chills.

"S-She would have killed me." Danny said softly. "If you hadn't been there, I'd be dead or in the lab by now. This can't ..- T-they can't-"

"Calm down." Vlad instructed slowing his flight speed even more. "Remember we have a plan, you're not fighting this alone. That ghost wants you scared and weak, don't oblige it."

Danny didn't answer audibly, but he nodded in understanding. Vlad always could manage to talk him back from his mini freak-outs better than anyone, though he wasn't sure if he took comfort in that fact or not.

The two halfas continued on and reached their destination in silence, neither one of them having anything to say. Vlad however was not too keen on leaving Daniel to his own devices just yet. To a stranger or at first glance the boy seemed fine, but Vlad could still see the conflicting emotions raging in those crystal blue orbs as they stared ahead listlessly. As the two entered the castle and Danny made to leave to his room, Vlad quickly stopped him.

"Daniel," Vlad called. "Perhaps you should accompany me to the training room for a bit. As a bit of a...distraction."

Danny didn't seem to take the suggestion well and turned to fully face him, his expression full of mistrust. "To do what exactly?"

Vlad saw where the teen was going with his question and quickly amended, "I don't mean for me to teach you anything, although you do indeed need-"

Danny's frustration that had wound itself into a knot in his stomach suddenly turned into anger and he quickly interrupted.

"I don't _need_ anything from you!" Danny snapped. "And I'm not going to let you train me! For the last time, I'm not your little apprentice, cheese head!

Vlad's eyes narrowed and Danny thought he might have took it a bit too far. As Plasmius advanced on him he forced himself not to run and tried to convince himself he could take a punch or two. He just hoped Vlad wouldn't electrocute him...

However instead of knocking him senseless like he'd originally thought Danny found himself being snatched by his upper arm and turned roughly to the side. He knew what was coming but he wasn't quite able to brace himself. Not that it would have helped, anyway.

Vlad swiftly brought his free hand down on Danny's defenseless backside once, twice, and a final third time for good measure before turning the boy back around to face him, his hand on Danny's arm keeping him in place.

"Watch your tone, and I won't stand for disrespect."

Danny nodded his head once and Vlad released him. The younger seemed uncertain of what to do now so he simply dropped his gaze to the floor. He couldn't believe he'd made Vlad resort to physically punishing him once again, and so soon after the last time! Danny then made up his mind that he would definitely make sure he didn't make the man flip out enough to try and spank him again, and if he did try, Danny would be ready to blow him to pieces. Besides, he was much too old for that kind of treatment! Vlad was constantly babying him, and Danny was quickly getting annoyed by it.

"I was not insinuating that I become your mentor." Vlad continued, knocking Danny out of his thoughts. "I simply cannot in good conscience leave you by yourself in the state you're currently in. You may have calmed from your earlier theatrics but I'm not fooled. If I let you go to your room right now you'd most likely stew in your own sorrow or cause yourself to have an anxiety attack. Therefore,"

Vlad took a deep breath and spoke in a gentler tone and volume, raising a hand and tilting Danny's chin up to look him in the eye.

"I am giving you two choices; stay with me in the training room for a bit, or find Godfrey and help out with whatever he's doing. Either way, you're doing something productive today." Vlad finished.

Danny frowned at the options and couldn't help but argue. "I'm not a baby..."

"I never said you were." Vlad replied, his voice remaining soft but stern. "Now choose. Or I shall for you."

With his last bout of defiance he moved out of Vlad's grip and made his choice. "I'll find Godfrey." He said, in what he hoped was a respectful tone.

He intended to head off and avoid all human (or ghost) contact for the next several hours and pretend as if he was with the old man. It wasn't as if Vlad could tell the difference...

"Alright, be quick then." Vlad answered, letting Danny get a few feet away before speaking again.

"Oh and Daniel?" Vlad called, making Danny stop and look over his shoulder at him. "I'll be asking Godfrey whether or not you actually helped him, and believe me when I say that if I receive a negative report you will not like the consequences."

Danny all but screamed in frustration. The fruitloop saw through him so quickly! With a huff and quick nod he left the room as fast as he could, wanting to get as much distance between him and Vlad as possible.

Finding the elderly ghost butler had proven easier than he had expected. Godfrey was assisting a few women, whom Danny assumed were maids, in arranging flowers in dozens of vases that were scattered all over the workroom. Danny had found them there because the scent of the freshly cut flowers was so strong his overly sensitive nose almost couldn't handle it once he'd gotten close enough.

"Um, what's all this?" Danny question walking into the room with a silent prayer that he wouldn't accidentally break any if the expensive looking vases...

The four maids in the room all greeted him with a warm smile and Godfrey set down the batch of roses he was working on to properly say hello to him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fenton." Godfrey greeted. "Has boredom struck early today or can I help you with something?"

Danny contemplated telling Godfrey about how positively unfair he thought Vlad was acting but decided that the butler would probably only lecture him in that 'wise old man' way and decided against it. "I'm just bored, as always. What are all of the flowers for?"

Feeling brave Danny drew closer to an arrangement of reddish pink carnations and violet asters. He was reminded of the times where Sam would tell him about her favorite plants and flowers. He always looked to see her eyes light up when she talked about the things she was passionate about. He couldn't help but feel that Sam would've been sad to see that the flowers had been plucked to be used for decorations.

"These are to go around the house as the old arrangements are needing fresh replacements." Godfrey explained. "There's a decent amount of them about the manor, as you can see."

Danny nodded, coming over to Godfrey. "Anything I can help with?" He asked.

"Oh no, we couldn't let you to help us!" A maid on his right exclaimed. "What would Mr. Masters say?"

Danny wanted to roll his eyes and tell her just what 'Mr. Masters' would say about it, but forced his temper to remain in check. No need for Godfrey to tell Vlad he was rude later, thus ruining his plan to remain punishment-free...

"I'm sure it would be alright for Mr. Fenton to give us a hand." Godfrey said, sensing the tension. "Besides, we could use someone strong and youthful to carry these to their proper locations."

At first Danny cringed, thinking of how many times he would have the opportunity to accidentally drop them, but squashed down the feeling. He was much better at controlling his powers and overall clumsiness than he had been nearly a year ago, he could handle this!

"I can do that." Danny assured them. "Just tell me where to go."

"Excellent!" Godfrey said, gesturing to his right. "Miss Rachel over there will give you the ready arrangements and tell you where they go."

Danny crossed the room, stepping over flower petals and thorns, before reaching the mentioned staff member. She looked to be on the younger side of middle age with blonde hair pulled up in a bun and tanned skin with brown eyes. She smiled at him and pointed to a pair of peach color themed arrangements on a table.

"These are to go on the 3rd floor, in the westside corridor." She plucked a map off the table and handed it to him before continuing in a no-nonsense tone. "Here, the places are all marked. You should have no trouble finding them at all."

Danny took the map and sure enough, the whole mansion was dotted with red highlighter indicating the location of flowers needing to be replaced. Danny all but gaped at it. How many flowers did one fruitloop need?!

But as Danny buckled down and got to work he found that having explored the large hotel-sized house many times before gave him an advantage to finding the small tables and desks and window sills that needed flowers. After the fourth run, he quickly got the hang of it and no longer needed the map.

An hour passed and Danny was almost finished with his job. He only needed about 4 more vases to carry and he'd be finished. He had to admit, it was quite the workout despite having supernatural strength. And as he carried yet another vase to one of the many sitting rooms, he was mentally praising the heavens that he hadn't broken a single thing.

As he neared the room, he began to hear voices. He slowed his pace. Danny was sure he heard Vlad. His voice sounded echoey and extra snobbish, meaning he was in ghost form.

The other voice however, Danny recognized but very much hoped he was wrong.

He silently floated to the door and set down the vase beside it, careful to not make any noise. He considered turning intangible but he feared doing so would alert them to his presence via sensing his ghost powers in use.

Instead he carefully and ever so slowly opened the door a crack and peered inside.

There, by the window stood Plasmius and Skulker. Danny wasn't sure what it was they were discussing so intently, but since they hadn't noticed him, he intended to find out.

"Such an action shouldn't be necessary at this point." Vlad was saying. "There is no doubt what the outcome will be."

"Indeed," Skulker replied, his voice as deep and evil as ever. "However it's still entirely uncertain whether or not you will even succeed. Such a plan would be too ambitious at this point, what with the allies he has."

Danny couldn't say for certain, but he was almost sure they were talking about him. Vlad was up to something, as always! Danny wanted to yell or punch the wall. He did nothing however, and instead stayed quiet and listened.

"Oh I'm sure in the end even his allies with see things in a...different light." Vlad said, his voice darkening. "Now, I'm afraid we'll have to leave our little chat at that. I've a child to deal with."

Danny saw Skulker raise an eyebrow before he seemed to realize something and gave a sickening grin. The young halfa swallowed thickly and backed away from the door as Skulker mock saluted Plasmius and disappeared in a flash of green light. Danny quickly turned to leave when he heard a voice directly behind him and froze.

"Going somewhere, Little badger?"

Danny spun around and raised his hands to fight but Vlad was not in a combative mood. He grabbed Danny's wrists firmly and pulled him into the room the businessman had previously been occupying.

"Let go! I haven't done anything!" Danny protested, pulling against Vlad's grip.

"Oh?" Vlad growled. He forced Danny into an armchair and towered over him, his eyes narrowed.

"I'll make this simple, then. Did you or did you not listen to our conversation?" Vlad asked him.

Danny felt his face heat up and he forced himself to look Vlad in the eye. "Yes, but I was _trying_ to-"

"And," Vlad interrupted. "Did you know that by doing so you were behaving both rudely and disrespectfully?"

Danny blinked rapidly as he dropped his gaze to the floor and nodded. There went his masterful plan of not getting into trouble!

"Honestly, I should haul you over my knee for this."

Danny's head snapped back up at the suggestion of a spanking and forced himself not to shoot an ectoblast at the man at point blank. Thankfully though it seemed by Vlad's tone of voice he was only considering it. Maybe if he eased his temper a little..

"I was only trying to help out like you said." Danny said, wishing he could move to retrieve his proof, the vase which he'd left in the hall. "I won't do it again."

"Indeed you won't." Vlad agreed, crossing his arms. "As you'll be confined to your room until dinner to think about just that."

Danny grit his teeth and stood up quickly. No way was he being grounded! By a fruitloop no less!

"You can't-!"

"I highly suggest you do as you're told Daniel because unfortunately for you, I'm this close to losing my patience right now." Vlad said sharply, stepping back nodding toward the door.

Danny wanted to scream in frustration. He wasn't a little kid! He saved dozens of lives on a monthly basis, yet he was being parented by a what would normally be archenemy! As Danny neared the door he clenched his hands into fists and said hatefully,

"You're not my father."

Vlad watched him leave with a tired look. He was glad Daniel didn't seem to have heard much if their conversation. The billionaire was definitely certain Daniel was not ready to be trusted with his plans for the future between them and this circumstance only proved it.

The elder half ghost sighed and sat down in the chair Daniel had been occupying not a minute before, still watching the door sadly.

"I'm nothing like your father, Daniel."

* * *

**_Next Chapter: Election day arrives and Danny is forced to uphold his deal with Vlad._ **

* * *

 


	11. The Sower and the Reaper

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 11:The Sower and The Reaper**

The day had finally come. Amity was abuzz with the latest polls and the people rushed as quickly as possible to the voting stands which were full to overflowing with last-minute voters. Today was the final day. Each ballot would be carefully collected and counted at exactly noon, and the winner would be announced precisely at 3pm.

Anxious though he was, Danny could barely register what emotions he felt as he helped Godfrey and a crew of decorators and assistants deck out the Masters' Mansion ballroom in red, white and blue. Vlad planned to host a grand celebration upon his winning, or at least, that's what he told the press. Though it would take a miracle, Vlad could still very much lose.

The gift of a silver tongue and charming yet cunning attitude made Vlad a challenging opponent, both in politics and in combat. For though he would never admit it, Danny was always on his toes when fighting Vlad and learned to defend himself against the many different styles of fighting the man employed. You would be surprised how quickly one learned when in extremely dangerous situations.

Danny had been watching Vlad like a hawk the whole day. The man had given him his word that no ghost powers would be used to win the people's vote, but the amount of trust Danny had in Vlad wouldn't fill a teaspoon.

So throughout the day the young half ghost took it upon himself to shadow Vlad everywhere he went. First to the offices where he'd been thoroughly exhausted with boredom, and now to this ballroom, where Vlad was barking out orders for decorations to be moved or changed.

The ballroom was already quite the sight, with its tall ceiling that curved inward akin to a dome, where Packers memorabilia once hung, expensive paintings and décor trailed along every wall. The red white and blue streamers and tablecloths were added for the theme of the day, along with chairs that each had a back that formed the letters 'V' and 'M' in swooping cursive.

"Red, white, then blue! Is that so difficult to understand?" Vlad snapped, his hands clasped firmly behind his back as the cowering head decorator stood before him. Danny wanted to pity him, but knowing that Vlad was far from actual anger and holding back most of his irritation, he found it hard to.

As the decorator scurried off with a stuttered apology Danny pondered the things he'd learned so far, being with Vlad for hours each day. He now knew Vlad was actual not a bad teacher, he somehow made the lessons seem more interesting than they were, utilizing his own experience and intelligence to better explain and expand on topics Danny would have otherwise completely misunderstood. On the other hand, he also found out just how strict Vlad could be, demanding obedience at all times and respect no matter what. A single trip over the man's knee had taught him that.

Danny's thoughts drifted as he hung up a few streamers to the image of Vlad's face right before Danny had almost been directly hit with the man's more deadly attacks. While he felt slightly relieved Vlad had been shocked and panicked to have almost struck him, it also reminded the younger halfa that should he push Vlad too far...

"If I find a single chair askew I'll make sure you regret it!"

It could be deadly.

"Hey Vlad..." Danny said, abandoning the decor in favor of trailing behind the billionaire as they left the ballroom. Vlad had his eyes glued to his phone as he walked, no doubt watching the poll numbers as they were recorded.

"I'm listening, little badger."

Danny cringed and glanced behind him, praying no one heard the awful nickname. "Shouldn't you be, you know, in a viewing room or something, or preparing a speech? I mean, I don't know much about politics but...-"

"Not to worry, Daniel." Vlad said, turning a corner and heading in the direction of the front door. "I've had everything prepared for my official win since I began running. As for appearing to the public..."

The two left the mansion and Vlad gestured for Danny to follow him into the awaiting limousine. As they pulled away from the extravagant house, Vlad continued.

"I have everything arranged, and Danny Phantom should have no problem standing beside me when the time comes, correct?" Vlad said, and Danny frowned.

Danny had enough time in the limelight without a billionaire by his side, the amount of hate he would receive for even getting close to the mayor _again_ would beyond overwhelm him.

"I'm not really into politics, V-man..."

Vlad chuckled and passed a hand through Danny's dark, shiny hair, surprisingly with nothing more than a glare. "You won't have to say a thing, this time your presence will be enough. And who knows...if all goes well with my election, and the people of amity are swayed in my favor, I could portray Danny Phantom as a ghostly hero instead of the public menace the media has made you out to be."

Danny looked down, thinking of how tempting the easy life of a billionaire and feared ghost's ally sounded. But the younger knew very well that if something looked too good to be true, it most likely was.

"Sorry unkie Vlad," Danny replied with a passive smirk. "But Danny Phantom can get a good rep all on his own. No assistance required. I'll stand with you if you win, but I don't want any favors."

Vlad seemed as if he was going to argue, but instead looked out the tinted windows with a calculating expression, keeping his eyes off Danny as he change the subject.

"You're aware that should all go smoothly, you are expected to hold up your end of our deal, as I'm sure you still remember?"

Danny tensed before letting out a sigh and slumping in his seat. "I was kind of hoping you'd forgotten about that..."

The edges of Vlad's mouth twitched in amusement. Daniel could be quite sneaky when he choose to be, however Vlad was quite serious about their little 'bet'.

"I am very much aware of your desire to reconcile with your family, despite the events that occurred, but with the information that has come to light- that being that a third party could and most likely is involved here- that in itself is a dangerous development." Vlad looked at Danny and frowned at the disappointment on his face. However it did not stop him. "Simply put, you're safest residing here with me as you have been for the last week, laying low. I'm sure you can understand that much."

Oh yes, Danny understood... He just didn't want to accept it. Perhaps another week with Vlad he could handle, but what about two weeks from now, or a month? Danny Phantom was already itching for a fight, and Fenton couldn't stand staying indoors for too long either. His frown deepened.

"You haven't won yet, Plasmius," said Danny, though he wasn't sure he was referring only to the election anymore. He let his gaze fall to his lap, and silence reigned for the remainder of the ride to Vlad's temporary office near the city hall building.

As the two of them met with security and were escorted to the office Danny began to feel the anxious flutter in the pit of his stomach that was now beginning to grow familiar. He tried his best to stay silent, and when prompted by staff or polite reporters, Vlad would only introduce him as his nephew- which Danny was slightly annoyed with- (any relation real or fake with the fruitloop was irritating!) But he powered through dozens of introductions and even managed to avoid reporters, who seemed to be mostly fixated on his 'uncle' and getting a reaction from him before the announcement of the winner. No one noticed when Danny slipped away as soon as the crowd got large enough to push him from Vlad's side. He welcomed the intrusion, and used it as a chance to find a nice, damp broom closet to hide in. Danny quickly took out his cellphone and called his sister. She picked up on the first ring.

"Danny? We're already outside city hall, where are you?"

"I'm close, but I can't get too far, call me paranoid but I have to make sure Vlad doesn't make a ghostly move to manipulate this thing." Danny grit his teeth before adding under his breath. "If I'm going down, it's going to be fair."

Danny was more or less resigned to the fact that in a few short hours he wouldn't have a choice whether or not he'd be staying with Vlad for the foreseeable future. However he was determined within himself to figure out his predicament before the fruitloop and without his aid. Danny and his team had come far together, the boy had faith that he could do just as much detective work as Vlad with or without a short leash.

"You've lost me a bit, little brother. Care to explain?" Jazz asked, her voice uncertain.

"We made a deal when I first came here, that if he could win this thing without the use of ghost powers that I would stay with Vlad and voluntarily lay low until we figure this whole thing out." Danny explained, keeping his voice low as a few chattering assistants clamored by his hiding space.

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Danny." said Jazz, a hint of worry in her voice. "It's getting rowdy over here, I better go. See you soon!"

Danny sighed and stood to his full height. He transformed into his ghost half with mild resistance, and shivered as a wave of cold swept over him. Just another painful reminder that he was still experiencing the after-effects of three events that had caused his current situation.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, something he did not usually do so in ghost form. It still helped calm his nerves.

Danny flew back to where Vlad was exiting a room and joined him at his side, exceedingly grateful to see that there were significantly less reporters and journalists around to buzz around the two. Only a handful of Vlad's own team were following them at the moment. They had all seen Danny Phantom around before, luckily for Danny everyone seemed more interested in doing their jobs much more than caring about a ghost.

"I expected you to disappear for a while," Vlad said. "I must say I'm surprised you haven't become mad with boredom as of yet."

Danny resisted the need to exercise teenage sarcasm and simply shrugged. He had to admit he wasn't as bored as he thought he would be, what with all the excitement and anticipation practically rolling in waves off of every person around him. Politics may not be his 'thing' but with the prospect of Vlad Masters using the influence of mayor to actually help him rather than hurt him Danny had plenty of reason to be interested.

Vlad guided Danny to what looked like a simple lounge and it was as the two were sitting down that Vlad's advisors began to relay the current standings, their eyes glued to their laptops and cellphones.

"It's looking good sir," said a woman in a crisp gray suit. Danny recalled seeing her making phone calls for Vlad when he needed something scheduled, and she seemed like a strict character. "You are ahead by a long shot, into the double-digit percentages."

Vlad nodded in approval and turned on a television near them and the local news appeared on the screen. It seemed like all they were talking about was Vlad's projected win. Danny couldn't help but frown. His freedom would be gone within hours now.

When Danny had agreed to the deal Vlad gave him that evening that seemed so long ago, he had been fueled by his need to make things normal again and passionate in his belief that he couldn't live without his parents in his life. Now, he had been away from the Fenton home for a week and not only was he seriously doubting his ability to return there but he was also beginning to think long-term about staying with Vlad. Especially now that he was obligated by his own given word to stay in his house.

Danny was finding it increasingly hard to imagine his life being safe or stable living with the billionaire in question. Vlad Masters had already proven that he was a stubborn, obsessive person, just like any other evil ghost. How much reliability could Danny put into someone who would do anything to tear his family apart?

The dark, silky voice of his doubting mind was practically yelling at him to further question and contemplate his situation, but his rational self continued to remain still but attentive as time passed and Vlad's team began to prepare the proper arrangements for Vlad to appear before the people gathered at City Hall. It was painfully clear now that the votes were in,

Vlad had won.

The billionaire escorted Danny to City Hall meanwhile the boy had serious objections to the idea of appearing alongside him.

"Danny Phantom isn't a political figure!" Danny argued once they'd reached the holding rooms. "I can't just walk out there and act like I know what I'm doing, I get enough if a bad rep from the local news. I don't want more publicity."

Vlad had been attempting to get Daniel to walk out with him and be at his side during his speech but Daniel was suddenly adamantly against it. The older halfa was sure that the boy's irrational fear of being discovered had something to do with it but he couldn't allow a silly phobia to ruin a perfectly good chance to aid their plan.

"Daniel please, I promise you won't have to say a single thing. Simply walk out there and stand still for a few minutes, what is so difficult about that?" Vlad replied. Danny glared at him in contempt for a few seconds before sighing, his shoulders slumping.

"I... I'm just not sure about all of this." Danny said. He wasn't used to being in the public eye (willingly at least) whereas Vlad was a professional celebrity.

Suddenly a short man with a bright name tag came over to them and informed them that the public had been made aware of the winner and it was time for Vlad to go out and speak. Danny swallowed thickly and avoided Vlad's eyes which were staring intently at him as the man scurried away. He felt his face being pulled upward and soon found himself forced to look into the medium blue eyes of the billionaire-turned-politician.

"Trust me." Vlad said, before standing back and giving Danny his space. Danny's face still held uncertainty, but he took a deep breath and looked around quickly, making sure no one was around to witness his transformation.

As the rings appeared at his waist Vlad turned toward the stage and gestured for Danny to follow. It was time for the show to begin.

* * *

Standing in a crowd of stiff-looking adults was definitely not the way Sam had wanted to spend her day, but here she was, waiting for the billionaire half-ghost himself to make his appearance so that the plan they had worked so hard on could begin its process.

If Jazz had not been on board with the teens from the beginning they may not have even got this far. To this moment she was monitoring the perimeter in case certain ghost hunters decided to come and cause a scene.

Tucker sat beside her, looking equally uncomfortable, and had finally put away his PDA as the votes had come in and the race had come to a close. He had been following the polls carefully and they had both come to the same conclusion,

Vlad had won, fairly and within the rules.

When Vlad finally walked out the crowd erupted in cheers. Many shouted out their support for him and his campaign till their throats were sore. Sam and Tucker however were mystified, for they seemed to be the only ones to notice that beside the billionaire was their best friend, in ghost form, trailing behind Vlad like a silent shadow. He stayed back and remained resolute in his stance behind the man, but it was painfully obvious to the two teens that he most likely didn't want to be there.

As the noise died down and Vlad stepped up to give his speech all the previous cheerers and shouters now were incredibly silent, hanging off Vlad's every word. Still, Sam and Tucker could only watch Danny with increasing interest. Did they have some sort of trick prepared, or was Danny trying to show support For Vlad as his ghostly counterpart? There were so many unanswered questions Sam was barely even listening to the cliche gratefulness that seemed to be the main theme of Vlad's speech. She could only watch her friend unceremoniously fidget in front of the press who barely even seemed to notice him.

"Do you think he's gonna speak?" Tucker asked her in a whisper. Sam contemplated for only a moment before the answered,

"I doubt it." she replied in a quiet voice. "I don't know what Vlad is thinking putting Danny up there, but at least he isn't being called a public menace and being chased out by all these pompous money-makers."

Tucker simply shrugged and the two continued to listen to Vlad's classic speech with mild interest. They were only there to make sure Vlad kept his word after all, politics was most definitely not a teenagers main focus in life.

At least, they had been content to half-listen until a topic they were definitely familiar with came up.

"It with great horror that I have witnessed the dear people of this town attacked by harmful Ghosts, with hardly any organization to the defense and security of the people. These so called 'hunters', such as the Fenton's and their 'aid' in the fight against rogue entities, has hurt the people more than it has helped. I plan to change this, to a system of safety for the people of Amity..."

Sam and Tucker exchanged looks of skepticism. Sam knew Vlad Masters was still their enemy, anyone with brains would realize their truce would not last as soon as their plan was complete. Should Vlad decide to make all of their lives a living hell in the name of 'safety' there would be no one to stop him. Except perhaps her ghostly friend, who seemed to be his right-hand man at the moment.

As Vlad's speech was nearing its end, Sam's Fenton Phones screeched in her ear and she cringed, scrambling to fix them somehow. Through the static, she could hear Jazz's voice.

"Sam!" Jazz's voice rang out clearly, But the rest of her message was broken by static. "You have to-! no time-! Tell Danny to-!"

Sam was beginning to get strange looks at the noise and Tucker was looking at her in worry. He could hear Jazz's frantic voice through the device, though he too couldn't understand the broken sentences.

"What?" Sam hissed as quietly as she could. "Jazz I thought you were supposed to be watching-"

"FREEZE GHOST SCUM!"

Sam jumped and whirled around in her seat just as the doors were blasted away to reveal the eldest Fenton's, Jack wielding a Fenton Bazooka and Maddie holding up a weapon Sam had never seen before. Jack looked ecstatic even through his goggles, But Maddie's expression was unreadable.

Vlad was surprised for all of a moment before jerking back to look at Daniel. As expected he'd frozen in place, his eyes wide and in clear shock. Vlad took a step to the side to cover him and made eye contact with the woman of his dreams. Though now she seemed anything but the person he'd fallen in love with.

"There is no need for your interference here, I'll ask you only once to leave." Vlad said loudly, and with as much authority as he could muster. Somehow he knew however, that a simple command would not suffice. Not for Maddie, and definitely not for Jack.

"He has hurt our mayor before, we can't let him do it again!" Jack exclaimed, his hands tightening dangerously on the weapon. "You gotta move V-man, so we can tear him apart molecule by-"

Sam stood up and held her wrist ray out to the couple, her eyes full of rage. Tucker hesitantly did the same.

"We won't let you near him!" She shouted, with Tucker nodding furiously from behind her. Jack seemed stunned and almost backed down, but he spotted Danny moving toward the room he'd come from and instantly plowed forward, pulling a second, smaller blaster from his hip to point at Danny.

"Stop right there spook!" Jack shouted, and Maddie was right behind him. Vlad again quickly side stepped into the path of the gun and set a hard gaze on Jack, before realizing something.

"Jack..." Vlad prompted carefully. "Don't you remember who that is?"

Jack seemed confused for barely a second before his face grew cold again and he replied in a booming voice,

"Phantom! That no-good ghost punk that terrorizes people, or something...!"

Vlad was about to reply when Maddie quickly interceded the conversation and got close to her husband's side.

"Exactly. He's a menace, and we need to get him, Jack! Before he hurts anyone else!" Maddie said.

Danny had been in a near panicked state, but he snapped out of it as he saw his two friends getting ready to fire at his parents, who in turn were about to physically move Vlad to get to him and capture him.

'I've got to do something' Danny thought. He took a deep shaky breath and flew a few feet into the air, putting on his bravest smirk. His insides were shaking with fright, bit his eyes were determined, playful even.

"You want me?" He taunted. "Come and get me!"

Danny took off as fast as he could through the demolished wall created by Jack and through the building, with the Fenton's right on his trail. He zoomed through the building and out into the street with adrenaline coursing through his body, forcing him to keep going. He heard a few gunshots and struggled to look back and dodge as fast as he could while his parents shot at him with their ecto-blasters, trying to shoot him down as he fought to think where he could lead them that was far away from people and structures. His closest option was the pier. There would be hardly anyone there as it was a Monday, and he could easily deal with his parents there.

Danny continued to dodge shots and the occasional glowing net, every once in a while turning to taunt or exchange banter with his pursuers in order to keep them following. He was completely terrified, every fiber of his being was screaming at him to turn invisible and get as far away from these people as possible. However as the neared the pier and Danny stopped to face them, he focused on putting on the bravest face he could.

"I don't believe you can't remember me." Danny said evenly. "That's just an absolute load."

Maddie seemed enraged by the suggestion and growled, shouldering the gun Danny had earlier seen her holding. She must have put it away to blast him with normal guns, but now he was seeing it again, and he still could not recognize it.

"This," Maddie said. "Is a weapon specifically designed to ensnare ghosts, and drain them of their ectoplasmic energy- or in other words, their life force. And once I get you with this, it'll be all over, half-breed."

Danny was confused at the nickname she'd used, not having ever heard her say it before. However he was sure he'd heard it recently. Where, he couldn't remember, but it sounded familiar, and unfortunately it was not in a good way.

"Not this time, mom." Danny said, in a more quiet tone. He lowered to the ground and got into a defensive stance. One he used only when fighting an opponent he knew he could not mess around with. The effect was immediate.

Jack opened fire on him with his blasters and Danny instantly pulled up an ecto-shield. Maddie ran up to his side and attempted to shoot him with her weapon, but Danny ducked and went intangible just in time. His heart was pounding, he wasn't sure he could defend himself alone after all. He flew back a few feet and blasted the blaster in Jack's left hand with ice, causing him to drop it and move his hand to steady his remaining weapon, while Maddie reached into her pocket and produced what looked like golf ball sized metal spheres, which she then flung in Danny's direction. Smoke exploded out of the devices and Danny coughed violently, waving his hand around his face to clear it from his vision.

He felt a harsh, burning impact to his side and he was suddenly skidding across the wooden floorboards of the pier, his side throbbing in pain. He gasped at the dizziness it caused and fought to push himself up onto his elbows. He looked up and sure enough, as the smoke began to clear, his mother towered over him with a serious look on her face, and a grinning Jack just beside her.

Danny couldn't have been more terrified in his entire life. His eyes were wide, showing off his bright green irises that were clouded with fear and pain. Maddie raised the weapon, her eyes focused on Danny.

"Goodbye, Half-Breed."

Danny flinched as the weapon shot and with it came a deafening sound of energy hissing through the air toward where he lay, frozen, unable to move or think. But instead of being trapped or in pain, he heard a loud grunt as the energy impacted something- or someone- followed by a shadow coming over him and blocking the midday sun.

Danny forced himself to his knees and saw Plasmius, encased in a cube of glowing energy. It took all of a moment before the trap's glow grew brighter and Vlad gasped in pain as his body too began glowing brightly.

Danny assumed this was what his mother meant when she said the trap drained the energy from its victim.

The hunters paused in shock and disbelief, but after several moments Maddie let out a feral growl of frustration and turned to Danny, aiming at him with the weapon once more.

"Daniel, move!" Vlad shouted, seeing what was about to take place. It was just enough to snap Danny out of his daze and scramble to his feet before taking to the air, his hands clasped to his aching side.

He thought Vlad was strong enough to free himself from the trap, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he shouldn't count on such probabilities. He stayed close to his original position and tried his best to shake off his pursuer, the complete opposite of what he'd been doing earlier.

But Maddie was quick to slow him down with well timed shots and her quick movements that seemed almost superhuman. Danny's heart began to beat faster as he realized he was running out if energy and would have to land soon, he couldn't take many more hits from his mother's ectoblaster.

With a shuddering breath and nervous eyes he landed close to the edge of the dock, turning and standing straight and tall as Maddie neared him, a sneer marring her features.

"Enough cat and mouse, ghost boy." She said, her eyes glistening a color Danny had not noticed before. Her irises shined with a bright magenta hue, instead of the usual lavender purple pools that often looked at him in a variety of emotions throughout the years.

"It doesn't make sense." Danny said, exasperated. "You were supposed to accept me, to love me no matter what! Human or ghost, I'm still Danny! Your son!"

Danny's outburst only seemed to enrage her further and she aimed her entrapping weapon at him, not hesitating before she fired. Danny dodged and flew towards her, as she recoiled and tried to blast him with her second, smaller blaster.

"You just won't die, will you half breed?!" Maddie shouted as Danny went intangible to escape the shot.

'That's the third time she's called me that...Where do I remember it from?' Danny thought. Suddenly, an all too familiar voice came from memory, and he remembered, deep within his ever-present nightmares, a dark, smooth voice saying:

_"We meet again, little Half Breed."_

Danny's eyes widened in recognition and he snarled, dodging another round of gunfire before getting as close as he dared to his mother and all but shouting at her.

"I won't let you mess with my family!" He said, before turning intangible and flying right at Maddie.

He immediately felt resistance and pushed with all his might. He felt the force fall through and dropped intangibility as they both went diving over each other onto the hard, wood ground.

Danny groaned and pushed himself up. He caught a glance of bright magenta eyes shining under a dark hood a short distance away before he heard his mother's all but desperate voice crying out to him. He turned and saw her toss her weapon to the ground and shout,

"Danny, run! I've got blo-!"

The ghost flew at top speed to her and before Danny could move she was again possessed and charging towards him, as she produced a pouch from her belt. Danny jumped up and back peddled, too weak from fright to fly, and wasn't fast enough to dodge a string of Blood Blossoms being thrown at him.

Danny cried out immediately at the sight of them and collapsed to the ground. However, he wasn't the only one in pain.

"I didn't w-want to resort to this because I can't be around to watch you w-wither and cease to exist." The ghost said, using its own pained voice. "But I'll say this one final time: Goodbye Danny Phantom."

Danny watched as the ghost pretending to be Maddie Fenton took off running away from him and the dreaded plant as fast as possible, Leaving Danny in agony on the dock.

He tried to crawl away from the flowers but the effect they had on him seemed to be even worse than before. He could barely even see straight.

'No way...' Danny thought, writhing in a cold sweat on the ground. 'I'm really going to die.'

* * *

The device encasing his body was truly a stroke of genius, Vlad had to admit. But rather than dissect its usefulness the half ghost's main objective was to free himself from it. A more difficult feat than it seemed.

"Not a single move, Wisconsin Ghost." Jack sneered from his right. "I don't know what you're doing here, but you messed with the wrong family!"

At this, Vlad scoffed. His anger surpassed his better judgment, and he all but growled at Jack through the green tinted trap. How could this buffoon claim to be protecting his family when it was he, Vlad Masters, who had attended to their son when he was broken and bruised beyond belief? It was he who deserved to be the parental figure in Daniel's life! Not some overweight simpleton who was manipulated so easily by anyone with half a brain!

"You know _nothing_ of family!" Vlad proclaimed, his royal blue eyes boring into Jack's own lighter ones, eyes that so reminded him of Daniel's. And with the reminder came to memory a face of despair, and those same eyes clouded in turmoil. Vlad became livid.

"Your family has been crumbling beneath your hulking figure all this time, and you _dare_ act as if you care about them!" He didn't care if he was going overboard, nor did he give a single thought to his situation. He wanted so badly the titles Jack Fenton had ripped away from him, his anguish could not be quelled.

Meanwhile Jack was completely oblivious to the meaning behind the declarations, his eyes only burned with hatred. A ghost, telling him he didn't care for his own family? Jack Fenton would protect his family no matter what!

"You don't know what your talking about, scum!" Jack retorted. "A ghost like you couldn't even have a family, much less know how important they are. All you do is terrorize good people and bring misfortune to our town!"

As idiotic as Vlad found them, he couldn't help but feel a prick in his heart at the man's words. True, he hadn't before been sensitive of the meaning of family, and even friends. He only needed allies, benefactors that would lead him to his goal. It was only now he could see, after years in a hospital surrounded by no one but doctors, how important a family was. It is for that reason that deadly anger fueled his words, for Jack Fenton had what he could now never have, and didn't fully appreciate it.

"I deserved to be by her side. You ruined everything for me, my dreams, my love life, my humanity. You took it from me." Vlad said, his voice softening slightly as he calmed down, and the device's effects began to take their toll a bit. "But I cannot look to change the past now, not now, knowing the fact that without you, _he_ wouldn't exist."

Jack was beyond confused. He was about to attempt to reply, when a loud shout was heard, and he was suddenly blinded by smoke that exploded around him in a thick cloud, flying into his lungs and forcing him to cough in an attempt to clear it. He turned and caught a glimpse of purple and black before a metallic 'Thwack!' was heard and pain blossomed at the back of his head right before he stumbled and fell, losing consciousness.

"Vlad! Brace yourself!" was all the man received as a warning before a loud shot was heard and a powerful ectoblast struck his confines, forcing it to dispel and release him.

"Phew, glad that only took one shot." Tucker said, patting his modified blaster. Sam, who stood beside him, simply rolled her eyes.

He let out a soft groan and stood, stretching slightly as he straightened his cramped muscles. That box had clearly been made specifically for a more petite, white haired individual. And with that thought Vlad almost gasped, trying to remember which direction the other two had been heading in when Daniel took off.

"Where on earth did Daniel get to?!" Vlad said. "He could be in danger, you two, search the area west and south of here, I'll head in the opposite directions."

The teenagers did not need to be told twice and split up, running with their hands to their ears trying to get through to Danny's FentonPhones. They couldn't get a signal from him through, and their worry began to grow.

Vlad flew high above the ground and search the area for any signs of a fight or panicking citizens, who literally looked as if they'd seen a ghost. But he could see no such sign. That is, until he turned his attention to the docks, where a faint, red glow was just barely visible and no humans seemed to be around. Vlad dove for it, his chest swelling with hope he desperately tried to squash down. Hope that he wasn't too late, that Daniel had somehow gotten away, that he wasn't hurt...

He cared for the boy. Before, he wouldn't admit it, but he could now. All he wanted was Daniel to accept him like he did Jack Fenton, not some rich uncle, or just a mentor, but that oh-so-coveted position of parental advisor, someone who could make a difference in the little halfa's life.

As he neared the edge of the dock and saw, to his horror, Daniel's unmoving body on the ground, his heart jumped to his throat. He swiftly landed beside him, but suddenly felt a sharp pain surround him. He gave a short cry and doubled over, his eyes searching for the source of his pain. They stopped at the sight of the string of black and red flowers and he immediately brought forth energy to his hand and burned them to ashes in seconds. The pain subsided and Vlad was able to properly kneel beside the unconscious half-ghost and feel for his pulse. In his ghost form it was weak and hard to even find if you didn't have the skill, but Vlad pressed his fingers desperately to the boy's neck and let out a sigh of relief when he felt a very fast, but very weak pulse.

Vlad quickly took the Fenton Phone from Daniel's ear and told Sam and Tucker to meet him at his Mansion, and that he'd found Daniel.

After that he scooped up the light teenager and flew swiftly and determinedly to his home, his teeth grit tightly together in worry and anger. Vlad forced himself to think optimistically. Daniel would survive.

He had to.

* * *

 

**_Next Chapter: As Danny's condition worsens, the truth of his torture is finally revealed to Vlad._ **

* * *

 


	12. The Light of Truth

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 12: The Light of Truth**

There were many emotions billionaire Vlad Masters had felt in his life.

Fear, however, was not often one of them.

No, indeed, he was accustomed to the luxury of control, over anything and anyone he so wished. He could admit, such luxuries of meticulously developed ghost powers and more than sufficient finances could have softened him to pain and sadness. Although...

The lifeless look of Daniel's unconscious face automatically forced butterflies of anxiety to play in his stomach. As Vlad Plasmius flew toward his home, his thoughts grew dark.

At first, he was practically gnashing his teeth in frustration, wondering why on earth Daniel had attracted the Fenton's attention just to fly off as he had. But Vlad knew, deep down...he was to blame.

'He trusted me...barely, but he did.' Vlad thought. 'A little over a week ago he would've tried to attack me just for being in his space, and now...'

But did Danny ever trust him, really? The teen did make it clear he preferred their relationship to stay businesslike and focused on their mutual goal, but Vlad wanted so desperately for Daniel to grow fond of him and give him at least friendly respect that he could admit to slightly losing sight of their plan that he had so desperately tried to go through with this entire week.

Guilt was not an easy thing to cope with for a regular person, let alone Vlad Masters, who almost never succumbed to such a pitiful feeling. How could he desire to be a father to Daniel if he couldn't even keep him safe? The question only made him angrier at himself, and the person behind this, who was so casually pulling the strings on Maddie the Marionette.

The flight was a quick one, barely 3 minutes before Vlad had caught sight of the mansion and teleported. Normally he did not attempt to teleport with another being, but he was close to desperate. As he entered the house, he shouted at the top of his lungs for his staff through the intercom system, arms still full with Danny's limp form.

"Godfrey! Meet me in the infirmary, now!" He demanded, before flying to the location himself.

His thoughts were scattered in a fevered frenzy as he set Daniel down as carefully as possible on the crisp sheets. Somehow, Daniel looked worse than before. He was sweating now, and his arm had curled around his middle, his eyebrows creased unhappily.

Vlad couldn't only hope he hasn't gotten to Daniel too late. Godfrey appeared within a minute, his eyes scanning the room before finding Danny.

"Dear Lord, not the child." He muttered, his usually friendly face creased in concern.

"Quit gawking and get over here!" Vlad commanded, pulling at the teen's jumpsuit to gain access to the more concerning wounds, one of which was a painful looking blast mark to his left side, along with a steadily bleeding set of cuts along his right calf and arm.

Godfrey snapped out of his stupor and jumped to retrieve the necessary equipment. All the while he was quizzing Vlad on the events that led up to their current predicament. However something about the story startled him.

"Hold on a moment, did you say the boy's mother had blood blossoms?" Godfrey said as he examined Danny's face and head for anything that could resemble trauma resulting in a concussion.

"I did, why? Ah- and pass me the antiseptic." Vlad replied.

Godfrey did as requested and continued with a strained voice, "Sir, you claim the young sir worsened upon your arrival, do you not think this is because there are a good amount of blood blossom plants in the greenhouse?"

Vlad started, giving an alarmed but contemplative look at Godfrey before replying carefully.

"How would he be able to sense them?" He debated. "They are kept under special plants that produce a shield to keep its effect from those outside of it."

Godfrey remained silent for a moment, his eyebrows creased in thought. A frown was present on his face while his right hand rested gently on Danny's unhurt arm.

"Sir... You don't think..."

Vlad looked up this time and grew worried at the look on his Head of Staff's face. "What?" He questioned.

"You don't suppose, the day he first came here... His mother... Intended to end him this same way?"

Vlad paused, thinking. It made sense. It made perfect,  _ terrible _ sense! Why the boy did not get better as quickly when he came to live with him, or why his core kept acting up. His body had to have been exposed to it on a grand scale, but it was possible that Daniel became hypersensitive to the effects of the Blossoms. Blossoms which, unfortunately, he kept in his greenhouse. For a normal ghost the shield around them would have sufficed, but to a hypersensitive teenager it was most likely hindering his recovery, or worse.

"I'll be back shortly, alert me if he wakes." Vlad said, and without further explanation, he headed off in the direction of the back of the enormous house.

He flew to the greenhouses and passed his poor, confused groundskeeper to enter the only greenhouse with a fingerprint lock and opened the door after gaining entry. He then speed walked to the back of the structure and spotted his prize.

Under the green, brightly glowing shield of the ghostly plant years ago called 'Spirit Blooms' by pagan Wiccans, were perfectly potted Blood Blossoms. Vlad had intended to use them to make a vaccine-type remedy for the plant's own effects, but he quickly threw that idea aside in favor of bringing forth powerful pink energy to his hands, making them glow even brighter than the ghostly shield, and plunged his hands through, burning both plants to a crisp.

A part of him was disappointed at his loss of the rare, special plants, but the larger part of him didn't care and simply hoped by destroying the offending herbs he'd now be able to revive Daniel.

Without another thought Vlad Plasmius left the greenhouse and flew up into the house, not giving a single care to any human who might have seen him. He then hurried to the infirmary and found Godfrey sitting by Daniel with a worried frown plastered on his features, and Daniel continued to lay still, looking rather like a mummy with most of his visible skin bandaged up.

"He's regained a bit of his color, and he looks a bit more relaxed." Godfrey reported once he saw the man come in. "What did you do, sir?"

Vlad ignored him for a moment in favor of taking a seat beside Daniel's bed and never taking his eyes off of his face, hoping that those toxic green, feisty eyes would flutter open any moment.

"Come on, Daniel." Vlad prompted brushing the snowy white bangs from Danny's face. "Wake up, I mean it."

Godfrey stood and this time his worry was turned to his employer. "Sir, I don't think-"

"Leave us!" Vlad ordered, his eyes shining bright crimson. He refused to believe Daniel wouldn't survive, he had tried so hard to keep him out of harm's way to let the boy go now.

Godfrey hesitantly left, giving one final glance to Danny, and shut the door behind him, leaving the two halfas alone.

"I implore you Daniel, if you can hear me, open your eyes..."

* * *

 

_ The first thing Danny noticed was how light he felt. More than he felt even in ghost form. His head was fuzzy and he had to blink a few times to clear it, not that it made much of a difference, there was only darkness all around him. It was suffocating, black, negative energy swelled inside him and he wrapped his arms around himself as he shivered, trying to force the feeling away. _

_ "It's about time you met your end, don't you agree?" The voice, now frustratingly familiar, prompted from the darkness. _

_ Danny realized with a start that he could not speak, it was as if his own vocal cords we afraid of breaking the deafening black silence that resumed after the villain's statement. _

_ Suddenly, in front of him, a spot of negative energy, even blacker and darker than his prison, appeared and began to grow. He backpedaled away from it but it only grew faster and closer by the minutes. Danny tried to yell, to scream, anything, but his jaw was locked tight. _

_ "You've been a nuisance for too long, halfa. Now I've won, fairly and truthfully, and now it's time for your punishment." _

_ Danny was finally able to cry out as a bit of the tar-like substance touched his silvery white boot, creating a mild burning sensation and preventing him from moving his left foot. _

_ "Just who are you, and what did I ever do to you?!" Danny cried, gasping and grunting as he tried to free himself. _

_ "I suppose you've earned the right to know, now that our fight is over..." Danny's leg was now encased up to the ankle, and his right hand had gotten stuck in all his flailing. "My name is Deus Ivix. And what you have 'done to me' is simple. You exist. You defy all laws of order and naturality. You, are a mistake that never should have happened." _

_ Danny remained silent in slight shock at the bluntness of the ghost's words. Admittedly, Danny had thought along the same lines a few times in his life, but to hear them said so hatefully, even by an enemy, was still a bit crushing. His body was becoming more and more trapped as he gave up on fighting, and simply grit his teeth against the hot, uncomfortable feeling of the darkness surrounding him limb by limb. _

_ 'I can't do this by myself anymore.' Danny admitted to himself. He dropped his head to his chest and weakly pulled at his arms to free them, but it was no use. _

_ 'Come on, Daniel.' _

_ Danny flinched at the loud voice and brought his head up curiously. He knew that voice, and it wasn't his enemy's voice this time. _

_ 'Wake up, I mean it!' _

_ A small, barely visible light appeared behind him, and Danny gasped, pulling at his confines toward the brightness. He couldn't quite reach it simply by stretching his only free hand toward it, the ball of glowing light was further away than his arm span could reach. Danny let out a frustrated cry and turned his attention to the growing darkness in front of him, trying to suck him in and possibly waste him. He dragged what little energy he had left from his core and brought it forth to his hands, letting out a powerful ectoblast that shook the darkness with its light and forced the darkness to recoil at its brightness. However Danny still wasn't completely free, and Deus' mocking laugh broke through while he struggled. _

_ "It's hopeless, no one can save you, not him, not your friends, and definitely not your family. They don't care a wit about you, you were never supposed to be created!" Deus exclaimed. _

_ But Danny refused to give up. He knew what the ghost was saying was fast from true. And now that he found himself able to speak, he voiced his objections loudly while striking out at his prison. _

_ "You're so wrong, dude!" Danny declared, finally freeing one of his legs. "My friends would stick by me no matter what, they care about me more than most people care about their friends. And my family would do anything for me, they loved and cared for me since forever! It's only because of your stupid interference that we've fallen apart!" _

_ Danny hesitated for a moment, considering his words, before continuing. "And Vlad may be a seriously flawed Fruitloop, but he helped me and was willing to put aside our differences to defeat you. So take my advice dude, and leave. Me. Alone!" _

_ With one final pull, Danny broke free of the tar-like cage and sprinted in the opposite direction, toward that tiny bit of light he desperately desired. _

_ As he reached out and his fingers brushed the bright light, his eyes lost the ability to stay open and the last thing he heard was Vlad's voice, _

_ "Open your eyes, Daniel." _

* * *

 

Danny's world exploded in aches and pains he was sure were not there when he collapsed, but he ignored it for the most part and focused on forcing his eyes to open. Thankfully the windows were not open and it was midday, otherwise Danny wasn't sure he could have opened them as easily.

The first thing he noticed was that he was not in the room Vlad had deemed his, but he did recognize his surroundings after a bit of a look around. He also noticed Vlad himself was beside him in ghost form, with his head tilted downwards and a deep frown settled on his face. Danny regained his bearings enough to turn to him and say in a cracked and hoarse voice,

"If you keep frowning like that it'll get stuck, you know." Ouch, his throat felt like sandpaper.

But it was worth it to see Vlad's head shoot up and stare at him with a shocked expression Danny rarely, if ever got to see. The man took all of a second to stare at the boy before jolting forward and pulling him in closer to embrace him.

At least, that's Danny had thought Vlad was going to do. He quickly realized otherwise when Vlad stood and bent over Danny with hand raised, his clear, intended target in sight as he pulled Danny forward.

"W-Wait!" Danny exclaimed in a panic, freezing.

"Do you have any idea how worried you made your friends, and the trouble you caused for Godfrey and myself?" Vlad demanded, his eyes stern and unbending.

Danny resisted the urge to gulp as he looked up as passively as he could while being stared down by the one person who was literally better than two of him. "Hold on a minute, It's not like I could have known that...She had..."

" _ Blood Blossoms? _ Is that what you meant to say?!" Vlad snapped.

Danny looked shocked but had no time to react because this thought seemed to send Vlad into a tangent.

"Honestly, all this time, I have asked, and been patient, and waited, calmly, for you to tell me what exactly happened to you the first day you came to me, I carefully expressed varying reasons of why it was important to tell me." Danny had taken to looking down at the man's shoes while he continued. "Yet you still, for whatever reason, kept the fact that Maddie somehow got her hands on a powerful and dangerous weapon against ghosts and had used them on you. Do you understand what has happened now because of that rash decision?!"

At first Danny just grit his teeth and continued keeping his gaze away from Vlad, but as the seconds ticked by and he realized he was supposed to answer, he simply shrugged, and was promptly given a sharp shake by Vlad. He finally answered in an annoyed but quiet voice. "No, sir."

"Your body has developed a more acute sensitivity to the plant, a plant which I had conveniently had growing in the greenhouses since before you arrived." This time, it was Danny who snapped his head up to look at Vlad in surprise. "It is clear that besides the fact that it was concealed from harming most ghosts, your developed hypersensitivity made it able to affect you and slow your recovery. It also explains why you had such a devastating reaction to it earlier."

Danny bit his lip, thinking of how something that looked and seemed so small and insignificant could inflict such damage to him and reduce him to looking this pathetic. He pushed away the barrage of impeding thoughts for now and finally answered Vlad.

"I heard you, in my head."

When Vlad didn't reply, silently asking him to elaborate, Danny slowly pulled himself back up, and Vlad loosened his grip slightly.

"I'm not sure how, or why, but I felt like something, or someone, had me backed into a corner...I thought I was gonna die Vlad." Danny paused for a moment, reorienting his thoughts. "But I could hear you, and see you, I think. I knew I had to get back to you and my family, so I kept listening for your voice, and it guided me out.

"Out of where, Daniel?" Vlad asked.

"I-I dunno, the dark..." Danny mumbled, unwilling to recall the ordeal just yet. "Y-you... made me f-feel safe."

As soon as he'd said it, Danny regretted telling Vlad how he'd felt so bluntly. Vlad didn't outright laugh at him, thankfully, but he would not- or could not- respond. The two stayed quiet for several moments, which seemed to stretch on for years. The silence would have surely continued for hours, however Godfrey chose this moment to reenter the room and gave an exaggerated sigh as he hurried to Danny.

"Oh I knew I'd heard you two talking -goodness sir let the poor boy go- are you still in pain? Lie back now, you'll be alright." Godfrey fussed, shooing Vlad a few steps away.

"Godfrey." Vlad said, his voice just the slightest bit strained.

"Sir?" Godfrey questioned, suddenly getting a grip on the tension surrounding the two half ghosts.

It was as if Vlad was contemplating a chessboard and carefully examining his pieces before coming to a final decision. Godfrey remained straight faced, though he could tell the two halfas had tension piling around them.

"Make sure he eats." Was all the billionaire said before turning in one swift motion and heading out of the room. Danny felt his spirits fall.

He'd gone and messed everything up, now. He just  _ had _ to say he'd hallucinated the guy in his coma-dream. Now Vlad would think he was weak, not that it mattered. Danny tried to tell himself everyday it was only temporary, and this only proved it further. He just wasn't meant to be with Vlad.

_ He wasn't good enough. _

Godfrey watched the boy all but implode on himself in grief and gently clasped Danny's unhurt shoulder. Danny didn't even flinch. His eyes burned with sadness for all of three seconds before he turned to Godfrey and his face lost all trace of negativity.

"So, I'm thinking Chinese for dinner, or lunch, whatever time it is. What do you think?"

Godfrey wasn't sure how the boy did it, acting so casual, but somehow Godfrey understood that he shouldn't push him. He gave Danny a half-hearted smile and nudged him into a lying position while he replied.

"Indeed, I was thinking exactly the same thing. I'll let the cook know immediately. And, it is half past 5 o'clock, young sir." Godfrey said, before tending to Danny more worry some injuries, which were the only things that were really wrong with him, his super fast healing has turned all of his previously deep cuts and gashes to bruises already. But there were a couple ectoplasmic gunshot wounds, one on his right side and shoulder, and another on his left thigh, that were still visible and bleeding in a slow trickle through the bandages.

Again, as Godfrey helped him to the dining room (Danny refused to eat in the infirmary) Danny thought back to the situation at hand. Vlad had saved him, again. That made twice that Danny owed Vlad, big time. He didn't want to accept that Vlad might just want to keep him safe and protected because the fruitloop wanted Danny to join him, because it complicated the matter of them being enemies. And if there was one thing Danny couldn't stand against it was kindness, or even sympathy. They were emotions Danny just couldn't imagine applying to Vlad.

Besides, he still had a family, torn as it was at the moment. He still believed he could save them. He had to. He was the good guy, the superhero, the one who's supposed to save the day in the end. If he couldn't do it, who could?

The cook came to serve the halfas' dinner and Danny frowned, noticing the empty seat where Vlad usually sat at the head of the table.

"Isn't Vlad coming?" Danny questioned the man, as a large helping of fried rice and chicken was placed on front of him.

The chef, who Danny had learned went by Viktor, gave him a pitying glance as he quickly moved away from the table. "I'm sorry, young sir, he's informed me he will not be eating dinner tonight."

Danny's frown only deepened as he nodded and the employee went about his business back in the kitchen. Danny was slow in picking up his silverware for his mind was thinking entirely too quickly.

Did Vlad intentionally miss dinner to avoid him? Was he more upset than Danny had originally thought? Danny had thought that Vlad would be ecstatic that he didn't feel complete hate for the billionaire for the most part, but what if Vlad was getting tired of him? What if their alliance was really the only thing Vlad cared about...?

Danny wanted to scream in frustration but instead he shoved a forkful of rice in his mouth and stifled the sigh that threatened to come through. He resolved to ignore the issue. If Vlad wanted to play this game, Danny would accept the challenge.

After dinner Danny was permitted to stay in his own room, to which he quickly took advantage of and used the phone Vlad had given him to call one of the only people in his life that understood situations he was so clueless at dealing with. The phone only rang once before it was picked up.

_ "Danny! Are you okay? Gosh you were bleeding  _ **_everywhere_ ** _ -" _

Danny almost smiled hearing the voice of his best female friend. Even though he'd seen them both earlier that day, Danny still wished he could hang out with Tucker and Sam without the paranoia of being hunted down and caught.

"I'm fine, Godfrey fixed me up good as new. I don't even think I've got a new scar." Danny replied, looking over himself with contentment. That was one thing he especially appreciated about being half ghost. Wounds only half affected him most of the time. As long as he didn't suffer a direct hit from an ectoblaster or sharp object.

_ "I can't believe you ran- er- flew off like that. I thought we were supposed to be a team, Danny. You nearly got killed! Do you realize how stupid that was?!" _

Sam's voice held an odd quiver in it and Danny bit his lip in remorse. He'd gone and made her worry about him again. Great.

"I'm sorry, Sam, you're right." Danny said, his free hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. "I guess I just haven't been thinking straight lately."

_ "Does it have to do with Vlad?" _ Sam asked bluntly. Danny resisted the urge to cringe.

"How'd you know?" He questioned. Was it obvious?

_ "From the way you were looking at him during the speech, I could tell something was up. I don't know what happened between you two, but you should be trying to get along, you know." _

Danny sighed softly and withdrew his free hand to rest on the pillow beside him, tracing its swirling Milky Way design. "It's just awkward living with a guy that thinks your whole family should be...different. Vlad wants me to become some kind of son to him, but I just can't do that, I already have a father."

Sam contemplated his words carefully, the cogs in her head turning in thought. On the one hand, Vlad was bad news to the Fenton family. On the other hand, right now the Fenton's we're different and Vlad could offer protection, and not to mention now that he was mayor their initial plan to get the guns and government funding away from the trigger happy Fenton parents could go into action.

_ "As much as I know you're not gonna like it, I honestly believe you shouldn't be pushing Vlad away right now. He's your ally, at least, right now he is." _ Said Sam. Danny remained quiet so she continued. _ "Besides, what's going to happen if you can't figure out what's going on with your mom within the next week? Or month? Think about it Danny, maybe... You may want to start looking for another familiar face to fill a familiar role..." _

Danny grit his teeth, trying not to shout. Everyone wanted him to give up on his family, it seemed. His sister was outright disowning them, and Vlad never wanted his parents together in the first place. The odds were so unfairly stacked against him and his chances of returning to his normal life, it made him almost angry. He breathed in deeply, away from the phone's microphone, calming himself before replying.

"I'm sorry Sam, but I can't. At least...Not until I'm sure that there's no way things can go back to normal."

He heard a haughty voice echoing from Sam's side and she gave an irritated huff at the noise before she said,

_ "I just hope you know what you're doing, Danny. I gotta go." _ She hung up and Danny was left to endure the silence of the large house alone.

Danny wanted so badly to be able to figure out just who exactly this Deus Ivix was, he wished he could go into the ghost zone for answers. Surely Frostbite would know something, but knew the second Vlad caught wind of such an idea he'd be locked up in his room forever.

With Vlad back in his mind Danny felt a weight settle in his chest. So much had happened in the span of less than two weeks and Danny was already on the brink of distraction. The fact that he was almost suffocated with attention by The billionaire and his staff was both a refreshing change and a frustrating one. Refreshing, because living with scientists who were beyond dedicated to their work left little time for family. Frustrating because he knew Vlad was only helping him to get Danny on the man's side, to become like a father to Danny.

That thought was more nerve-wracking than he could handle.

If Vlad changed- that is, if he became not evil- Danny didn't know how he could fight him. He was able to keep the billionaire at arm's length simply because he reminded himself every minute of every day he was stuck here that it was only temporary. They would go back to being enemies soon enough.

But what if they didn't? What if it wasn't so easy to return to normal, and Vlad was able to alter his ways, convince Danny to not hate him?

Danny shuddered at the thought. Better to stay neutral, then. He should only treat Vlad as a... Business partner. That couldn't be too hard.

Speaking of Vlad...

Danny was still slightly irked that the guy had skipped eating dinner with him. It wasn't only completely out of character for Vlad, it was downright rude! Danny had almost died for pity's sake, the least the billionaire could do was show up to dinner.

With former doubts concerning what he'd said to the man earlier banished from his thoughts, Danny got up- a bit shakily- and headed off to find Vlad. Easier said than done, of course. Danny had at least 4 basic guesses as to where Vlad could be:

Most likely, he was in the lab. Where Danny wasn't usually allowed to go, unless Vlad was with him. He'd have to check there last, then. Second was the lounge, where Vlad liked to read in the evenings after dinner and sometimes dragged Danny along with him. The third was the man's study. He usually avoided it during the evening because that's where he did work and he preferred to, as he'd once said, 'unwind and relax one's mind and body', at that time. The final place, more like a last ditch effort, would be the room Danny encountered a couple days ago, where Vlad had been working with his electricity abilities when Danny interrupted him, with some shockingly painful results. Now Vlad felt the need to warn him against going near the room every time the older halfa was going to use it, which was beyond irritating.

Danny made his way to the closest area first, which was the second floor lounge. All of the largest bedrooms and bathrooms were on the second floor, along with Danny and Vlad's rooms there was a small library, a room just for Vlad's wardrobe, with a matching room for Danny's, a sauna that connected to both of their private bathrooms to use at their leisure, and of course, the lounge on the opposite side of the hall from Vlad's bedroom.

The lounge itself was not as large and fancy as the rooms on the first floor, which Godfrey had told him were more heavily decorated for aesthetic purposes than anything else. No, this room was always warm and cozy, for it had a large fireplace made of smooth sandstone that contrasted against the dark wood panels that made up the four tall walls. The ceiling held up a large but not too intricate chandelier of polished brass with lowly lit candles that sent dancing shadows across the walls.

While Danny had expected Vlad to be sitting by the fire deep in a book of some sort the man was nowhere in sight. His next best bet was either the lab or his study, and since he didn't want to get caught going to the lab if Vlad turned out not to be there, he decided to check the older halfa's study first.

The study, much like the lounge, was decorated modestly aside from the ornate desk that stood tall and regal in the center of the room surrounded by bookcases full of files and novels and a large window along the wall that was behind the desk. As Danny approached the intimidating room, he began to hear voices.

While it wasn't unusual for Vlad to house meeting from work in his home it was not usually this late and Vlad made it a point to let Danny know when there were humans in the mansion so that he didn't use his powers.

Intrigued and with nothing better to do, Danny listened in to the low voices in the study, from outside the decorated double doors.

"-Everyone who doesn't live under a rock knows there was a riot not too long ago." Vlad's voice filtered through. "I only ask you these questions because this seems to be something worthy of being hidden, perhaps you could shed some light on the subject?"

Danny frowned at the irritation in Vlad's voice and marveled at how he was acting. It was unlike Vlad to lose his cool. Then again, it was unlike Vlad to take visitors at this hour of the evening, as well.

"I'll tell you what I told your hunter friend." A voice, which Danny knew too well, replied in a western accent. "Observants paid me to keep that freak locked up- dunno why- so I did. Didn't think he'd be such a bother to keep caged, otherwise I wouldn't'a taken it. The one-eyed goop gang can be pretty convincing though, when they actually get involved in things 'round the Zone..."

That was Walker! It had to be! Danny's teeth ground against each other in anger. Of course, Vlad couldn't stop his evil schemes for too long before he was already trying to undermine everything Danny had been trying to tell himself about Vlad. Vlad was, and always would be, a criminal fruitloop. Plain and simple.

"The  _ ghost _ , warden, tell me who we're dealing with here. I'm afraid I cannot help you recover the prisoner if I don't know who I'm looking for. Tell me, who is this ghost?" Vlad asked, with even more irritation in his voice. So much, that Danny was thankful he wasn't Walker at this moment. Vlad talking to you while in a bad mood was like a death sentence.

"Calls himself 'Deus Ivix', other than that, the Observants were tight-lipped on his crimes. They were paying me so much, I didn't exactly feel the need to look into his past." Walker's explanation seemed to only make Vlad more frustrated, as a deep sigh could be heard, before Vlad replied in a high-and-mighty voice,

"Well then, now would be a perfect opportunity to gain some of that missing information then, wouldn't it? If you want him caught without the council finding out, that is. Go to the Ghost Zone, and find everything you can on this Ivix ghost. Do not disappoint me, warden."

Danny backpedaled away from the door as he recognized the dismissal for what it was, and was just out of the way when Walker came walking out, grumbling and scowling at no one. Then, he caught sight of Danny and sneered at him with contempt.

"You! Listenin' in on conversations that got nothin' to do with you, is against the rules..." Walker's face contorted into a smirk as he advanced on Danny slowly.

"Uh, yeah, hate to break it to you, but that conversation had  _ everything _ to do with me!" Danny exclaimed, raising his hand to fire an ectoblast at the warden ghost.

" _ Daniel _ ." Vlad's voice rang out, stern but calm, as he approached the door. "Don't. It's not worth it."

Danny glared at Vlad, who was in ghost form, and turned his gaze back to Walker. The warden hadn't taken his eyes off of the younger halfa, but he was no longer advancing on him and simply stood casually, as if the whole thing was beneath him. Slowly, and with a hard look at the two Danny lowered his hand and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I believe you were dismissed, Walker. Do you honestly need to be escorted out?" Vlad snapped, and Walker was suddenly tense again.

The ghost jailer huffed and left as fast as he could walk with his dignity intact. Danny watched the skeleton-looking man leave until he rounded a corner and was out of sight. Then, he turned to Vlad.

"Why'd you stop me?" He asked bluntly.

"The short answer?" Vlad replied, keeping his eyes averted from Danny's. "You're injured, and I'd rather not mop the floor with your blood, thank you. Speaking of which..."

Danny yelped as he was scooped up into Plasmius' strong arms and carted off in an unknown direction. He thrashed in the elder's arms and found that his hurt shoulder was still sore. His eyebrows creased together and he settled for glaring at Vlad in embarrassment while he massaged his throbbing injury.

"I thought you were avoiding me." Danny said with a touch of sarcasm. "Didn't even bother to show up for dinner..."

"Would you prefer I continue avoiding you?" Vlad questioned, with full sarcasm. He waited for Danny to shake his head in reply before continuing.

"I've thought over a few things, and I've come to the decision that while I will still uphold my end of our bargain, there is nothing stopping me from trying to obtain another of my goals..." Danny barely thought before he spoke.

"You want me as your sidekick." Danny deadpanned.

"Oh, more than that, Daniel." Vlad said, and at this point the two had reached the stairs to the main floor and Vlad changed into his human form, sending a chill down Danny's spine. Was this how it felt when he changed beside Sam and Tucker?

"I want you as my heir, my protegé , I want to give you what Jack and Maddie can't and never could. I want you not as a sidekick, but a son, Daniel."

Danny felt Vlad's arms tighten slightly around him as they descended the stairs and he had to admit, he felt infinitely safer with Vlad than at FentonWorks. But, he still felt loyalty to the pair that raised him, that taught him the morals he chose to live by, that gave him the love and kindness he tried to extend to everyone he could. He bit his lip and looked away from the man's face.

"Vlad..."

"I know." Vlad interrupted. "I am nowhere near close enough to Jack's level of fatherhood. As much as it pains me to say. But you have to accept that regardless of current circumstances, I will still try to convince you to join me."

When Danny didn't respond right away, Vlad continued carefully.

"Think about it Daniel, what I could give you, what you could achieve here, with no distractions, no hiding in your own home..." Vlad slowed his pace and looked at Daniel for the first time since the boy had awoken. "Let someone else be the protector, for once."

Danny saw the sincerity in the older halfa's eyes, and felt a heavy weight in his chest. He couldn't accept Vlad's offer. He was needed to much, cared for and needed by his town of Amity. He couldn't give that up, not without a fight.

"As tempting as that sounds, not everyone can be bought that easily, Vlad." Danny said finally. Vlad simply nodded, and stopped walking.

At first Danny thought Vlad was going to drop him for the rejection, but he looked forward and realized where they were.

"Hungry much?" Danny said as they entered the kitchen and Vlad was able to put Danny down on a high metal stool that was kept in the corner. "I'm really not  _ that _ mad about dinner, you know..."

Vlad turned and waved a bag of flour at Danny teasingly. "Then I suppose I'll have to eat all the cake myself."

"Whoa whoa  _ whoa _ , you can make cake?" Danny said, suddenly feeling well enough to stand. "I take it back, I think I'm still hungry after all!"

* * *

 

**_Next Chapter: Danny's nightmares get more and more intense as the two halfas get closer and closer to solving the mystery of Deus Ivix._ **

* * *

 

 


	13. In the Absence of Slumber

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 13- In the Absence of Slumber**

A few days had passed since the prior incident with the Blood Blossoms. Both halfas were eager to return to normalcy, especially since things needed to be set in motion for the next step in Vlad Masters' plan. Meetings had to be scheduled, documents were to be drawn up, there was much to do.

With his new resolve to make sure he did things right by Daniel as far as fairly trying to win a spot in the boy's life Vlad used every free moment he had to check up on Danny, something the youth was not always happy about, but tolerated.

It was easy to ignore Vlad after their lessons in the morning, since the man now had a job that required his presence at City Hall. But if Danny was honest with himself, he would admit he was bored after the first few hours of wandering around, lazing about in the home's theatre, or gym, or even just reading in the large library on the third floor was no longer entertaining. He needed something to do, badly. Especially now.

Ever since he'd faced the ghost they were up against in his dream, Danny had been plagued with awful nightmares and visions of the anger and insanity the ghost- now known as Ivix- was feeling knowing Danny had survived and his plan has been foiled. It was a curse Danny was quickly becoming tired of. Even more so when he would wake up from a nightmare and it was only 2 or 3 in the morning, and he had no choice but to go back to sleep and risk another one.

Tonight, a clear Thursday night when everyone had long since gone to bed, Danny had all but given up on fighting the nightmares, but when once again he was woken with a start and gasping for breath with the sound of metal chains clashing against each other roaring in his ears, he'd officially had enough.

"This is crazy." Danny huffed, flinging the covers of the expensive bedspread to the side and rising. "I can't get any sleep like this!"

He thought about calling Tucker, maybe even Sam, but he knew better than to disrupt his friend's sleep. And Jazz? She would just use her usual psychology tricks to analyze him and explain why he was acting the way he was. And as much as he cared for his sister, Danny was certainly not in the mood for that.

So, with nothing more interesting to do Danny powered up the laptop on the desk in his room and sat down, resolving to play 'Doomed' or even write the essay Vlad had asked him to do for Friday on the Playwrights of the Victorian Era. Either way, there was no chance he was falling asleep again. It was too risky.

With this thought in mind, Danny forced himself to stay awake all through the night, and did not experience a single nightmare.

The same could be said of Vlad, though he of course had gotten a full night's sleep. When morning finally arrived and the business man entered the dining for breakfast, finding Daniel already seated and waiting for him, he was immediately suspicious.

Daniel hated waking up early, and though he'd been slowly getting better at it (since the boy now had a stable schedule and could actually sleep without ghostly interruptions ) there was no way Daniel would ever be up and about _before_ Vlad. Still, it would be best Vlad didn't question it. Yet.

"Good morning, Daniel." Vlad greeted, taking his seat right as his and Daniel's breakfast was placed in front of them. French toast with scrambled eggs topped with refried beans and bacon. Vlad had a feeling Daniel had a hand in the decision of the menu this morning.

"Morning." Danny replied, his tone a bit snippy. He lifted his head from his hunched over position and began eating. His head rolled to the side every so often in that exhausted way, and his eyes would droop to half mast constantly. Vlad could easily see the beginnings of bruises under the boy's eyes and his unfocused state spoke volumes about the reason he was up so early. However, once again, Vlad forced himself to let it go.

"Any significant plans for today? Other than starting on the assignments I've given you of course. I expect at least half of them started today." Vlad said, watching Danny closely. He looked much more awake as the food activated his growing teenager appetite.

"It's already finished Vlad, geez." Danny snapped, remembering how he'd struggled through researching every detail Vlad insisted he include in his work. "And no, I don't have any 'significant' plans. I'm in hiding. Not on vacation."

Vlad's neutral expression melded into a frown. He recognized the signs of angst and rebellion when he saw it. Now if only he had a book on understanding teenage youth...

"Fair enough." Vlad said clearly. He paused in conversation for a bit, cringing at the teenager's table manners, and enjoying his meal before trying again. "If you do find yourself bored I would be happy to spar with you later, or guide you through some techniques..."

Danny set down his fork with more force than necessary.

"I'm _not_ your apprentice."

Vlad shook his head with a sigh. Was everything so black and white with this boy? How on Earth were they supposed to live together if they couldn't even use their powers in the same room for a few minutes. Was Daniel that upset about Vlad trying to gain his trust as, even as temporary allies?

"You know that isn't what I'm insinuating." Vlad said calmly but with a hint of darkness in his voice. "I would watch your tone even when expressing something you disagree with or are passionate about."

Danny scowled. Enough, he'd had enough. Vlad didn't know how miserable he'd been dealing with these nightmares, it just wasn't fair that he got lectured for letting out his frustration. Danny stood up from the table.

"Drop dead Vlad, you have no right to parent me." Danny retorted. He turned to leave and Vlad spoke.

"You were most certainly not excused." Vlad said, this time his annoyance was clear. "Sit down. We're going to discuss this."

"No!" Danny yelled. Vlad's eyes narrowed, glowing a bright red for a few seconds, before he shot up and reached for Danny.

Danny prepared himself for a punch or an ectoblast to the head but was surprised when he felt a pinch at his ear, guiding him forcibly to stand to the side. A slightly muffled slap was heard, and pain blossomed in his rear. How humiliating!

A second, more heavy smack landed and Danny couldn't hold back the gasp of pained surprise. He was then pulled back to face Vlad, who looked much more calm, and his ear was released.

"You'll learn quickly that I do not like being told 'no'. Forget that, and I will make sure you remember for a _long time_." Vlad said, emphasizing his final words. His tone of voice was light, but his eyes were dark and promising. He was not someone to be messed with right now.

"Alright, I get it." Danny muttered, forcing himself to sit down with no more than a slight hiss. Vlad surely had a hand of steel!

As Danny rubbed at his abused earlobe and Vlad returned to his seat, Danny found himself once again not as angry at Vlad for the assault or arguments as he perhaps should be. In this house he was constantly being reminded that there was someone who wasn't so easily fooled or outsmarted that was able to...keep him in line. It wasn't something he was used to.

If anything, Danny physically cared for himself more than his parents did. He had gotten rather disturbingly good at hiding any injury or sickness. Even his friends couldn't help him 24/7. There were more ghost fights where he was alone and heavily banged up by the end than he would like to admit.

Here though, he did not have to fight for Vlad's attention, it was almost the opposite. As of late Vlad had taken to checking up on him as often as he could, a habit Danny found both slightly comforting and also very irritating.

"Now," Vlad said. His voice was at that annoying pitch he used when talking to business associates he disliked. "Since you clearly have not planned anything productive today, how about we finish breakfast and head to the study for lessons, hm?"

Vlad had always thought he could just bribe the child with knowledge about their abilities, but for the last week Daniel had been adamant that the billionaire not teach him a thing. Vlad didn't understand why the boy wouldn't simply jump at the opportunity to learn from someone who had been going through the same curse as he for longer, but he guessed that it was something he wouldn't be getting out of Daniel anytime soon.

"Fine, whatever." Was all Danny replied.

When the two began lessons for the day Danny's mind kept wandering without his consent. He couldn't help but feel like he should do some digging on his own, like Vlad had done with Walker. They had made a deal that Danny was to be involved in finding Ivix if Vlad wanted to keep him in his home, but Danny had a feeling Vlad knew a lot more than he was letting on. Danny wanted to find some answers, without the fruitloop's help.

The problem was, he'd have to go to the Ghost Zone to do it, and probably visit Clockwork. It had been a while since he'd seen the Master of Time, anyway. He hoped that Clockwork had seen a happy future for him, and thus saw no reason to intervene on his current situation, but a darker, more anxious side of himself wanted to scream at the thought that his most trustworthy ghost ally had let this happen.

Suddenly, a glowing, bright pink pointer landed on the table in front of him with a loud _'THWACK!'_ and Danny's eyes jerked into focus. Vlad was standing over him with a frown on his face and an open textbook in his hand, a textbook which Danny was supposed to be listening to him read.

"I wasn't daydreaming." Danny was quick to defend.

Vlad huffed, removing the pointer from the table. "Clearly not. Care to remind me what we were discussing?"

Danny wracked his brain for the last thing he remembered whilst trying to look confident.

"The Civil War?" He guessed.

Vlad shook his head and closed the book, turning and placing it down on the stack of textbooks that accumulated on the corner of the long rectangular table they used for Danny's schoolwork.

"The Civil War was two subjects ago." Vlad replied, and Danny reacted by lowering his head in embarrassment. Mr. Lancer would have probably given him detention for falling asleep or refusing to listen, but for daydreaming? A lecture, maybe having to stay after class a few minutes to explain himself. He just hoped Vlad was not much more strict than his English teacher.

"It's obvious you're distracted today, so I'll be merciful and end lessons here." Vlad said. Danny smiled in relief. "Besides, you have quizzes in two subjects for tomorrow, I want you in top mental form. I expect very decent scores."

Danny scowled at the smug man and rose from his seat, only for Vlad to rest his pointer on the younger halfa's shoulder.

"I would also like to know what has our hero so preoccupied he cannot even pay attention to a simple lecture...?" Vlad questioned, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"I was just thinking...about some things." Vlad did not release him, so he begrudgingly continued. "L-like maybe visiting someone, an ally of mine..."

He thought Vlad was going to make a joke about the amount of enemies Danny had compared to allies, but surprisingly Vlad only looked at him seriously, and... with a bit of suspicion.

"And this 'ally' of yours, is he or she a ghost?" Vlad asked.

Danny frowned and shrugged the pointer off his shoulder. "Does it matter?"

"Not particularly," Vlad said casually. "Unless, however, you plan on going to the Ghost Zone to meet this person."

Danny was slowly getting into defense mode. What was Vlad getting at? Just because Danny stayed here now didn't mean Vlad could make himself Danny's nanny!

"Why can't I go into the Ghost Zone?" Danny asked, with a bit more bite than he intended. "I'd go there all the time through the Fenton Portal just fine."

Vlad kept eye contact with Danny and reigned in his desire to blast the boy to pieces. Vlad Masters did not waste his valuable time keeping the boy alive for him to run into The Zone with no supervision to get ambushed or caught or even killed.

"There are innumerable reasons for you to avoid the Ghost Realm, but the most concerning is the fact that we still don't know exactly who or what kind of ghost we're up against here. He could be using the Fenton's portal himself to go to and fro as he pleases." Vlad sighed and relaxed his posture a bit. "Honestly Daniel, _think_. This ghost wants you dead. You need to start caring more for your own safety."

Danny couldn't understand why everyone suddenly seemed to think he was a frail child. He was Danny Phantom! A hero who saved people on a regular basis, there were countless enemies he'd defeated again and again, and experiences that he'd pushed through and learned from to help him grow as a person and protector. However for some reason he didn't feel like that almighty superhero right now, stuck in his arch enemy's house, fighting for his place in his own family, and battling an enemy he knew next to nothing about. It was as if he'd come so far, only to fall just short of his right to happiness.

"I'm not weak, fruitloop." Danny said, his voice barely audible. His clouded eyes fell to stare at the wooden tabletop.

"Believe me, I would be the last person to call you 'weak', little badger." Vlad replied without hesitation. "You are dismissed."

Danny immediately pushed in his chair (a habit Vlad had insisted he obtain) and headed for the door. Just as he opened it and faced the threshold, he turned back and waited a moment to catch Vlad's eye.

"See you for dinner." He said.

"Indeed. Oh, and Daniel?" Vlad called. Danny raised an eyebrow in question. "Go into the Ghost Zone without my permission, and you won't sit properly for a week."

Danny's cheeks grew hot and he glared at Vlad, muttering a quick 'Whatever' before stepping out into the hall and leaving Vlad behind.

'As if I could even get through Vlad's portal. It probably has a genetic lock only accessible by Fruitloops.' Danny thought.

Despite everything, the desire was still there. Being able to go ghost and fly through the Ghost Zone was something he'd been missing. It was a moment where he felt completely comfortable being Phantom and was more in-tune with his ghost half. The ecto energy was not only rejuvenating but it was also slightly...comforting. It always made him feel normal when he was a ghost. Like it was where he belonged. Which, logically speaking, it was. He was half ghost, after all.

With his newly given free time Danny found himself quickly becoming bored. He decided to revisit a few rooms in the house that he'd found interesting. He remembered the eastmost hallway on the ground floor had a door that led to the lower levels, which contained a workout gym, but he couldn't remember exactly which door he was looking for.

Danny sighed when he observed that the hallway was quite long and all the doors looked relatively the same. Darned Fruitloop and his symmetrical mansion.

As he began opening doors (quite a few were either sitting rooms or billiard rooms.) he tried to remember which door it was that held the staircase. He opened yet another door and when he closed it, not finding the staircase, he heard what sounded like faint music playing nearby. He stood still a moment, the sudden sound surprising him, and listened. It was classical and very serene as far as he could tell, though he was unsure of what song it was exactly. He was sure Jazz would have known. She insisted classical music was very calming, and owned quite a few CDs of the genre.

Since his sister was not here though, Danny decided to give up on his searching and head toward the sound. He quickly found out it was further away than he'd thought, his sensitive ghost hearing must have helped him picked it up. It was almost at the very end of the overly long hall. Danny turned and came upon the source of the sound, or rather, the door that led to it. Without ceremony he turned intangible and poked his head through the dark wood.

Inside was a large, echo-y type room, and it was full of musical instruments. Danny recalled having discovered it his first day exploring, but not thinking much of it. His eyes skimmed over the room and he found what he was looking for.

Godfrey was seated at an ornate and vintage-looking grand piano, playing with a serene look on his face other than the light smile that seemed to be ever-present on his features. He looked a bit more ghostly than usual, his aura was quite bright. Danny guessed that he was so 'in the zone' the butler didn't care for his appearance at the moment.

For several moments that seemed to last forever Danny listened and couldn't help getting lost in the music's calming melody. At this point he'd stepped fully into the room and was visible.

When Godfrey's song ended and the last note was played, Danny snapped out of his reverie and awkwardly began to clap. Godfrey chuckled and turned around to face him before standing up and giving a mock bow.

"Good afternoon young sir, are you not supposed to be in lessons with Mr. Masters at the moment?" The elder staff asked.

"Don't worry, I'm not skipping." Danny said quickly. "Vlad let me off early."

Godfrey's smile shone a but brighter in relief. Although inside he hoped the boy wasn't fibbing, the older half ghost would be most upset if he was. Not to mention Godfrey would probably give him an earful as well. Deciding to change the subject, Godfrey said,

"I must admit I did not take you for a musical man, Mr. Fenton." To which Danny shrugged.

"It sounded nice. Who taught you to play like that? And for the last time, it's _Danny_." The boy asked.

"Well I thank you for the compliment, youngster." Godfrey replied, smirking when Danny's eyebrow twitched with the nickname. "My mother taught me, she was a sweet soul. Too full of heart and calm to proceed into this afterlife we share. Though through playing her songs I believe she lives and sees those that loved her."

Danny easily accepted things like religion and beliefs simply because of what he was and the unbelievable proof of other dimensions' existence, and found himself smiling and nodding . Godfrey's disposition was downright contagious.

"You know, Mr. Masters also is a skilled musician. Though he very much prefers his own classical style over much else." Godfrey said. Danny's eyes lit up.

"Really? Vlad?" Danny asked. As an afterthought he continued. "Piano has different styles? I thought it was just... Beethoven's stuff..."

Godfrey's eyes twinkled in that special way and he gestured to the beautiful instrument beside him while keeping his eyes locked in Danny's.

"Would you like me to show you?"

* * *

 

After dismissing Daniel I once again tried to catch up on my work as the mayor and once again I was completely spent within the hour and not even half done. All the people complained about were the ghosts, and ghost hunters!

He was finding himself with less and less time to himself and thinking about the young man that lived with him more often than not. If this was really what having children was like, he needed to hire a tutor for Daniel, just to get some work done in the mornings.

Though, he supposed he could wait on that for now. He was making good progress with Daniel academically, especially now that the boy actually had time to study and apply himself. Not to mention, Daniel definitely seemed to trust him more.

Little things that Daniel did around Vlad that would not have meant much to others, gave Vlad hope that Daniel would come to see him as more than a temporary ally. Daniel no longer moved away when Vlad sat beside him, he allowed casual touches like a hand on his shoulder or back, or even a non-patronizing pat on the head. At least Vlad no longer worried for the safety of his person when he came close to Daniel non-threateningly.

Be that as it may, Vlad still felt anguish for his long-time crush Maddie during the moments when Daniel wasn't in the room. All he wanted was both of them at his side but fate was hellbent on keeping them apart.

With a sigh that seemed to carry throughout the room, Vlad decided to give up on his paperwork and try to exercise his troubles away in the gym. Usually he would unwind by practicing combat with his ghostly abilities, but right now it would only remind him of the situation with Maddie. All he wanted was to avoid ghost powers or ghosts altogether for a couple of hours, just to take his mind off of his situation.

As Vlad made his way down to the gym his sensitive ears picked up a melodic high pitched noise from ahead. A second note was played and Vlad found himself curiously shaking his head at the slow plunking of notes clearly coming from his music room. He couldn't imagine Godfrey having trouble with any score of music, the man was unbelievably talented at such things, and no one ever came into the room other than Godfrey and Vlad.

Though it seemed that every time he had something make sense in his mind a certain raven haired child took it upon himself to shatter his assumptions. A trend he should be finding disturbing, but ultimately couldn't be bothered to combat against as of late.

Which is why Vlad was entirely unsurprised when he found Daniel seated at his piano with Godfrey standing behind him, watching with a patient expression. Daniel seemed very determined and also a bit frustrated, by the way his mouth was curved downward and his eyes were locked onto the keyboard where his hands hovered shakily, clearly trying to figure out where to go.

After a five second pause Danny finally hit a note and his head shot up to look at whatever book was in front of him, before turning his upper body to the side to see behind him. Godfrey nodded in approval and the boy's eyes lit up.

Vlad didn't often get to see that kind of expression on Daniel's face. The boy had taken to frowning much more than Vlad would have liked. To see Daniel so motivated caused his chest to tighten with an emotion unknown to the billionaire.

Finally, Vlad decided to make his presence known, and cleared his throat unnecessarily loud.

"Having fun, are we?" he said, a pleasant smile on his face. Danny's eyes widened for a split second before he shot up from the bench and looked a bit embarrassed.

"Ah, Mr. Masters!" Godfrey greeted cheerfully. "I was just showing Mr. Fenton some of the basics, he's actually quite talented."

Danny's face grew hot and he found himself stepping away from the large instrument. It's not that he was against musicians, he just didn't want Vlad to be involved in yet another thing in his life, even something so casual as an impromptu piano lesson. And he was sure that if Vlad had been standing there listening to him for very long, he'd have found plenty of material with which to ridicule Danny for his mediocre music skills.

"Interesting, I never took you for the musical type, Daniel." Vlad replied, turning his attention to the teenager. Danny shrugged.

"I just...I was only interested in the song Godfrey played, that's all." he said, perhaps a bit too defensively. Vlad raised an eyebrow curiously .

"It seemed a bit more than that, don't you think?" Vlad asked rhetorically. "You're allowed to have your own interests, little badger."

Danny's face went a deeper shade of red and he glanced at Godfrey. The ghost didn't seem to mind the use of the nickname but Danny still glared at Vlad spitefully for it.

"Whatever..." Danny mumbled. "Isn't it getting close to lunchtime or something? I'm gonna go- uh- see what's happening in the kitchen."

As Danny speed-walked to the door Godfrey somehow beat him to it and gently shook his head. "Allow me, Mr. Fenton, I have a job to do, you know."

The ghost left no room for argument and was out of the room before anyone could take another breath. Danny was left scowling after him when he realized Godfrey most likely had no intention of checking on the kitchens, but rather to meddle with his relationship with Vlad. If one could call it a 'relationship'.

The billionaire in question took the opportunity for what it was and decided to use the time he'd been given to talk to Daniel, saying in a cautious voice: "since you expressed the lack of activities to do in your spare time, perhaps adding some music lessons to your schedule would help relieve the boredom?"

Danny desperately wanted to shrug and not give Vlad the satisfaction of an answer, but decided that it would probably be easiest if he just agreed.

"Sure. I've got nothing better to do." Danny said, walking out of the room.

Vlad stubbornly followed behind him, determined to get the teenager out of his bad mood. He'd looked so motivated and even excited earlier! Vlad couldn't understand why his mere presence in the same room as Daniel caused such a negative reaction. Vlad's eyes narrowed a bit as he voiced his thoughts.

"If you would simply tell me of other things that interested you there would be much more for you to do other than waste away in the manor little ba-"

"Don't call me that!" Danny exclaimed, frustrated. "And I'd rather stay in 'my room' all day everyday than have a heart to heart with _you_ about my hobbies!"

"Why must everything be so black and with you?! Just because you're a so called 'hero' does not mean you get to decide who is evil and who is good!" Vlad challenged.

"You have proven to me time and time again in the past that you aren't trustworthy enough for me to get comfortable around you and let you dictate how I should live my life! I get that I'm living in your house and I gotta listen to you most of the time, but you can't make me like you." Danny stated angrily. "All relationships are built on trust, Vlad. And frankly, I trust you about as far as I can throw you!"

Vlad was angry, make no mistake about that. But he couldn't say he was shocked. He knew how Daniel felt about him. But hearing it said, validated, and out in the open, simply made him sad more than anything else.

"You're right."

Danny seemed to want to shout again, but registered the change of tone of Vlad's voice and stopped. Danny gave the man an unsure look. Was he serious? Or was the older man being sarcastic? Before Danny could think of getting defensive, Vlad continued.

"I have not always had your best interest in my actions, I'll admit." Vlad confessed. "However, that cannot and will not stop me from doing all I can to gain that trust from you. Have I or have I not been pleasant your entire stay with me?"

"Being nice isn't enough, cheesehead." Danny grumbled. Vlad just didn't get it!

"What on Earth do you want me to do Daniel?!" Vlad snapped, exasperated. "Do you want an apology? Because I can assure you the only one that should apologize for anything is _Jack Fenton!"_

Danny's eyes flashed green and within moments he was in ghost form shooting an ectoblast at Vlad. The man caught it easily, absorbing it in his right hand while holding up a shield to deflect the boy's blasts with his left.

Danny was beyond livid. His family- as far as he was concerned- was on the verge of destruction, and all the elder half-ghost cared about was a decade old grudge! Danny shot forward, fists raised with a clear intention of attacking Vlad.

Vlad grabbed him at the last second and gripped his wrists, shoving Danny into the wall and finally transforming into Plasmius. His red eyes bore into Danny's determined green ones, and before Danny could even think of an escape Vlad quickly spun him around with one hand moving to grip both his wrists. Danny was now facing the wall. Danny got a horrible feeling in his stomach, and not two seconds later he felt a gloved hand strike him hard on his rear end.

"You will _not_ attack me unprovoked." Vlad told Danny firmly, before swatting him again. " _Especially_ when I'm trying to have a conversation with you."

"You call _that_ conversing?!" Danny snapped rebelliously. But when he only received another sharp spank in reply, he all but stomped his foot on the ground in frustration. "You can't do this, let me go!"

"If you weren't such a hot-headed brat, I wouldn't have to." Vlad said. "Now, we're going to talk, _civilly_ about this. Turn around."

Danny's wrists were released and he immediately turned to face Vlad. Plasmius then changed to Masters, and after a few hesitant moments, Phantom changed to Fenton. Vlad spoke first

"Now, I'll admit I let things get out of hand before. So, let's start over-"

"But you were 'out of hand' and didn't get spa-sp-" Danny blushed. "You know!"

"You were punished for attacking me. Not only was it a brash decision, but if I had been anyone else could I have defended myself?" Danny tensed and Vlad knew he got the message. "Even for a hero, striking out first is often not the best strategy. Obviously, if you would just give me a chance to _show you_ these things, we could simply avoid them."

Danny glared at Vlad but it was half-hearted. The way Vlad had easily defended himself against Danny made him desperately want to get back to ghost hunting. He was getting disturbingly rusty. But, to let _Vlad Masters_ train him, to cross that line...Was it worth it?

Ultimately, Danny was going to have to face off against either his mother or the ghost that controls her. However he was currently in no condition to fight this ghost, Ivix had already been proven to be very strong. Danny locked eyes with Vlad. He'd made his decision.

"I'll train with you..." Danny started. Immediately Vlad gave Danny his full attention. "If you agree to give up on getting revenge on my dad."

Vlad stood still as a statue and tense as can be, his eyes widened ever-so-slightly. Though the awkward silence only lasted for all of two long seconds. What came next was boisterous laughter resonating throughout the hall. Vlad had thrown his head back and let out a cruel laugh that lasted several moments. Meanwhile Danny rolled his eyes and waited till Vlad was wiping imaginary tears from his eyes after which the man finally responded.

"You cannot be serious!" Vlad cried. "Years and years of suffering has been brought to me by that fat idiot's blunder. You'll have to be more convincing if you'd like me to give that up!"

Danny scowled. Half a dozen things Vlad would want popped up in Danny's mind almost instantaneously, but he needed leverage. Especially if he was going to survive living with the person he'd always thought to be one of his strongest enemies for much longer. No, he couldn't offer Vlad his complete trust or loyalty yet. So then, what did the fruitloop want? Danny thought hard for a few seconds before looking up at Vlad once more.

"I'll give you a second chance." Danny said finally.

Vlad looked completely floored. An odd look for a billionaire with the usual finesse and grace of a regal peacock!

"A...What?" Vlad sputtered. His eyes were glued to Danny's.

"You've been saying you want to get along, fairly and with trust," Danny explained. "But frankly, I don't trust you, as I very clearly said earlier. But...if you _promise me_ , there'll be no more assassination attempts, no more revenge plots, no evil schemes against my dad... I'll give you an honest fresh start."

Vlad's face somewhat resembled a trout that had stayed one too many seconds on land. He didn't know what to say. Vlad slowly straightened to this full height, adjusted his tie, and sobered up his expression.

"You understand what it is you're offering, don't you?" Vlad questioned. "You cannot use my past against me, I will have a fair chance at becoming a better father than _he_ ever was."

Danny inwardly cringed at the bluntness, but otherwise stayed serious. He was, of course, serious. His father's life was more important than his own comfort. Danny nodded, and Vlad's hand rose from his side.

"Then, I promise, I will no longer exact revenge on your father's physical person." Vlad said. Danny's eyebrow twitched as he realized that meant the man would still ridicule him verbally, but decided to deal with it. "In return, you'll allow me to train you, and have a clean slate."

"Agreed." Danny said, refusing to hesitate before shaking Vlad's outstretched hand. Vlad beamed at him with a bright expression and a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. Danny might have just rocked his world. Well, perhaps if his mom had been added to the equation, he would have, anyway.

"Can we go eat lunch now? Honestly, we've been standing out here for way too long." Danny joked. He began walking away toward the dining room, and Vlad strode right beside him.

"Of course, Little badger." Vlad said cheekily. "That teenage appetite of yours is quite insatiable."

"It is not! You just eat too little!" Danny snapped, though still, it did not have the actually bite of a real insult. After all, it wouldn't do to fight after they'd just agreed to get along. Vlad chuckled.

"Perhaps. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

**_Next Chapter: Danny finds out about a plan that could end his family's chances of returning to normal._ **

* * *

 


	14. Family Ties

**The Life We Fight For**

**_Chapter 14: Family Ties_ **

Four days had come and gone. It was nearing a month since Danny had gone into hiding.

In keeping with the agreement Danny and Vlad had made Danny consented to morning training sessions in which Vlad would ask him to complete a task (usually with a certain specified ability) and find things that needed to be worked on. At first, Danny had been apprehensive of Vlad's criticism, but found that the way Vlad explained the mistakes Danny made and provided detailed solutions for them made him more comfortable and willing to trust Vlad to critique him fairly. So far, Vlad had insisted they touch on the basics and Danny's sloppy footwork had been one of the first things to grab Vlad's attention. Danny had gotten so used to being in the air when in a fight that he'd slacked off on his hand-to-hand and earth-bound combat skills. Vlad was especially attentive to this particular flaw during training.

After the first day, Danny was just happy to be using his powers again. He'd gotten depressed at not having much use for them while in Vlad's home. Now that he could use his powers and push himself to get stronger, he was beyond relieved.

And as promised, Vlad had hired a music instructor to teach him four days a week in the music room. Again Danny was nervous about this change, but surprisingly Vlad had thought ahead and hired a young woman barely around Danny's parent's age who was used to teaching mostly youth. She was a kind looking lady named Sophie Cienfuegos.

Sophie was an average looking person for the most part, with fair skin and an average height. The only thing that stood out about her were her bright blue eyes. Danny liked to look at her eyes when he'd finished playing for her because when he did something right they seemed to sparkle when she complimented his work. Vlad often complimented his progress in training but it was usually followed by copious amounts of critique that Danny would have to apply to his technique.

It was Monday afternoon when Danny was finishing his lesson with Sophie that Danny found himself especially tired and barely able to keep himself from falling over. He knew exactly why of course. His nightmares weren't going away, and he couldn't force himself to go to sleep anymore. Everytime he would lay in bed and close his eyes he would see those bright magenta pupils staring into his soul; as well as hear the awful sound of chains that would be burned into his memory the following day.

So he would sit by the window in his dark room at night and do homework or play video games, sometimes he even snuck books from the house's huge library to read if he got especially bored. However he absolutely would not allow himself to use his ghost powers. The last thing he needed was Vlad crashing into his room thinking they were being attacked, or worse, think that Danny was sneaking around the house doing things he shouldn't.

At this point Danny could barely keep his eyes open. When he hit the wrong note for the fourth time in a row Sophie finally stopped him.

"Danny, I've corrected you on this several times, and you look about ready to pass out." She said, her voice soft. "Are you feeling alright?"

Danny forced himself to sit up straight and on the very edge of the bench as he'd been taught and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I'm just really tired today, sorry miss C. I'll get it right this time." He apologized, his hands going up to hover over the keyboard once again.

"Hold it!" Sophie exclaimed. "I think we've made good progress today. Honestly, you're one of the fastest learners I've ever seen. I think you can afford to be let off a little early today."

Danny would easily admit that a nap would feel almost heavenly right about now, but he couldn't risk Sophie asking him questions that would lead to him having to tell her about staying up at night. Or worse, he would have to lie to her. This woman was easily one of the nicest teachers he'd ever had, he didn't want to disappoint her.

"No no, I'm okay, really!" Danny protested, blinking rapidly to further wake himself up. What he ended up doing instead was giving himself a headache and making the room spin. Or rather, make him so dizzy it seemed as if the room was spinning. His hands gripped the seat tightly to keep himself from swaying like a drunkard.

"It's very clear you're not at your best today, so I'm afraid I can't permit you to push yourself like this. Just consider it a day off." Sophie said.

Danny had opened his mouth to reply when the door to the music room opened and Vlad stepped in, dressed in one of his more expensive black suits with gold cufflinks and accent buttons of the same gold throughout the ensemble. Danny frowned realising what it meant.

"My apologies for the interruption, miss Cienfuegos, I just need to speak with Daniel for a moment." Said Vlad, gesturing to the boy still holding the plush bench in a death grip.

"Ah, of course Mr. Masters." Sophie replied. Danny all but prayed that was all she said but of course luck was not on his side. "Actually, now that you're here I think it's an even better time to let Daniel off early, you see he's having a bit of hard time focusing..."

Vlad looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow. "Daniel?" He called.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy." Danny said, finally getting up and walking toward Vlad. "I guess I just need a nap. I'll get right on that."

Vlad gave him a curious look and looked Danny up and down. It was true, he looked quite out of it. Sophie shook her head and stood from her seat beside the piano.

"Honestly, you would have fallen over in a dead faint if I tried to keep teaching you," Danny's teacher said. "Your father would have come to the same conclusion seeing you; pure exhaustion."

Danny and Vlad both tensed and Danny gave Sophie a stiff, uncomfortable look. He shifted a bit and glanced to Vlad. The man seemed to be content not saying anything. Danny met Sophie's eyes again and replied.

"H-he's not my father." Danny said. If Danny had been looking at Vlad, he may have seen the way the man's lips tightened ever-so-slightly and his hands curled into clenched fists. But alas, he did not see, for his eyes were on Sophie, as she put her delicate but trained hands to her lips in surprise.

"Oh my, how terrible of me to assume. Please forgive me!" She said quickly. Danny opened his mouth to answer but this time Vlad best her to it.

"It's only natural to come to such a conclusion. Do not fret." He said, though his eyes were not ones of forgiveness. "Now if you please, I really must be leaving soon. Daniel, come."

Vlad led Danny out into the hall. The two stood in an awkward silence for all of five seconds before Vlad sighed and spoke in a cool toned voice.

"Well, I came to tell you I have a meeting that will most likely go on till long after dinner, meaning I would be gone most of the day. But if you're feeling ill..."

Danny felt oddly happy that Vlad was willing to postpone his important work in order to stay home with him, but this time, Danny didn't want Vlad to help him. His nightmares were his to deal with, and his alone.

"Nah, really Vlad, I'll be fine." Danny replied. "In fact I think I'll go hit the gym before lunch, if you don't mind."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to rest." He said suspiciously.

"W-well yeah," Danny backtracked. "But I'm not really tired yet, and I feel just fine anyways so it's not a big deal, right?"

Danny laughed nervously and started to walk off to the far end of the hall that led downstairs and to his destination. Vlad fell right in step beside him.

"I sincerely hope you're not lying to me, Little badger." Vlad pushed. Daniel was like an open book once you knew how to read him. And Vlad was sure there was something he was missing here.

Meanwhile Danny's heart was pounding in his ears as he tried to appear casual. He couldn't let himself give in to Vlad's prompting. Vlad was the last person Danny wanted to rely on to deal with his nightmares. No, he could do this, just a few little white lies should do it...

"Chill, V-man! You don't have to go all parental on me, besides, you're not my dad. I'll be okay." Danny said.

Vlad stopped in his tracks.

Did Vlad know Danny didn't want to give up his parents for him? Of course. Was he certain Danny was still stuck on the thought that Vlad was a villain, and nothing else? Sure. Did he entertain the idea that Danny might never think of him as anything other than an uncle, if even that? Yes.

Was he expecting him to so bluntly say it...?

Perhaps not.

Danny had stilled as well, seeing Vlad leave his line of sight. Now he felt horribly cruel. He'd only meant to distract Vlad from his suspicions, but... Now he felt like a complete jerk.

Still, he forced himself to say nothing. While he hadn't entirely meant to say it as he did, Vlad did seem to think Danny would just drop everything and become his son at some point. Danny respected the man now, that's for certain, but he just wasn't ready to leave behind what he'd worked so hard to protect.

Life is not a fairytale. Vlad couldn't give him his happy ending.

"No." Vlad said, snapping Danny back to reality. His voice was slightly strained, but mostly cold and...uncaring. "I'm not your father, Danny. Forgive me for acting as such. I'll be leaving now, don't wait up for me at lunch or dinner."

And with that, Vlad quickly turned and walked away.

Danny stood there, watching Vlad's back as it grew smaller and smaller with the growing distance. His hand rose, to gesture, to reach for, he didn't know. All he did know was,

He felt like he'd just gotten a bucket of cold water splashed over him.

Vlad finally turned the corner, and was out of sight. Danny quickly changed into Phantom and flew intangibly and invisibly through the house to his room, where he slowly sunk to his knees on the carpeted ground.

He was so used to seeing things in black and white. So accustomed to being all good, and fighting all bad. But slowly he was realising that those thoughts were blinding him from what he really needed to understand.

But still, would he ever be able to fully trust someone who carried so much hate in his heart for so long? Would Danny ever be able to truly forgive him? The deal they'd made, had it been sincere?

Danny shook his head to clear it of the depressing thoughts. He couldn't think like that. He had to have hope! Always, even if all seemed lost. That's what Sam would want him to do.

Sam...He should call her. She was probably already miffed that he hadn't been contacting her as often as perhaps he should. Danny changed into his human form and pulled the phone Vlad had given him from his back pocket. He gave the device a weary glance remembering its creator and quickly dialed Sam's number, standing up to walk over to his bed and flop down onto his back.

_ "Hello? Danny?" _

"Hey Sam, what's up?" Danny replied, rubbing at his tired eyes with his free hand.

_ "Honestly, not much. Oh, well there was a ghost attack yesterday, well, more like a box attack. Tucker and I handled it." _ Sam said. Danny could practically see her rolling her eyes. He chuckled.

"I have to admit, I kinda miss going out on patrol and ghost fighting." Danny admitted. "I'm starting to feel rusty."

_ "Maybe you  _ **_are_ ** _ getting rusty, leaving all the action to us!" Sam teased. "Seriously though, don't sweat it. You're still the only one of us that can knock out ghosts in the blink of an eye almost every day." _

"Thanks Sam." Danny paused in thought for a moment, getting an idea. "You know, Vlad won't be here all day, so since I'm free maybe we should go on patrol."

There was a small crash in the background and Danny pulled the phone away from his ear, giving the abused appendage a quick rub. When he returned the speaker to his ear, Sam was almost stuttering.

_ "W-well that's a great idea, absolutely fantastic, but I -uh- kinda already made plans, you see...!" _

Danny raised an eyebrow at her tone. "Oh? What do you have planned?"

There was a brief pause and Danny's mouth melted into a frown. He'd known Sam since forever. Why was she being so weird now?

_ "Oh you know, my parents just- uh- invited someone over! Yeah, and it's a really important client or something." _ Sam replied in a rush.

"But you hate dinner parties with your paren-"

_ "Anyway!" Sam interrupted. "I've gotta go now, I'll talk to you later, okay? Bye!" _

The line went dead. Danny hung up and stared at the screen in bewilderment. Suddenly, his vision went blurry, so he closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep, even if it was just for an hour or two, but he forced himself to sit up. He couldn't fall asleep just yet, he wasn't tired enough to fall asleep and not have a nightmare. He could stay awake for just a little while longer.

He decided to call Tucker. If anyone knew about Sam being a spaz, he would. It felt strange, having to go to his best friend for answers now that he couldn't see them everyday. He missed them.

But, he felt safe here. As safe as he could feel, anyway. Danny dialed Tucker's number and forced himself to keep his eyes open as it rang.

_ "Hey dude, what's up?" _ Came Tucker's voice after the second ring.

"Hiya Tuck, I just had the weirdest conversation with Sam..."

_ "Oh yeah? You two lovebirds have a lovers' quarrel?" _ Danny blushed.

"No, and we're not lovers!" Danny snapped. "She totally blew me off for a meetup later, you got any idea why?"

_ "M-maybe she's just busy. Haha, you know, some weird girl stuff?" _ Tucker said.

There it was again, that uncertain stutter. What the heck was going on? What were his friends not telling him?

"Tucker..." Danny growled, elongating the syllables to draw out his friend's name.

_ "I mean, it's not like she hasn't ever ditched us b-before, right?" _

"Tuck..."

_ "They're-I mean she's- totally not doing anything important later, nah, not at all!" _

"Tucker!" Danny snapped. He sighed to clear the harshness in his voice. "Spill."

There was an equally frustrated sigh on the other end of the call, before a subdued ' _ Alright _ , alright.'

_ "The girls, your sister and Sam, they...They've been looking into some legal stuff." _ Tucker explained.

"Like what?" Danny pressed.

_ "Like..." Tucker paused. "Like how to get you legally liberated from your parents. If...if they gathered enough evidence of some kind of abuse..." _

"They'd be able to get my parents in jail. Without me even there." Danny finished. His voice had fallen into a whisper. "They can't. I won't let them!"

_ "They've been talking about it for this whole past week. They were going to get together later, to plan it out I guess." _ Tucker said.

Danny's heart was pounding in his ears. No, he wasn't about to be let his parents be thrown in jail when he'd endured this nightmare of being alone in a mansion with his archenemy for nearly a month! He refused to let it happen, he was the hero, he was supposed to save people! If he couldn't even save his parents...

What kind of superhero was he?

"Thanks Tuck, I...I gotta go." Danny said, and without waiting for a reply, he hung up.

He stormed out of his room and headed to the gym. He had some anger to vent before it got to late in the day. Especially because,

He fully intended to crash his sister and Sam's little party later. Without a doubt in his mind.

Danny slammed his door behind him, startling a couple of maids dusting around the corner, and stomped down towards the gym. As he headed down the stairs to the ground floor, Godfrey met him in the steps.

"Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Fenton. Heading off to lunch?" Godfrey asked casually.

Danny nearly face-palmed. Of course he had to run into the one person that seemed to have a zen effect on everyone around him.

"Well, not exactly, I'm not that hungry today." Danny said, giving the butler a nervous smile.

Godfrey's eyes bore into Danny's. "Are you not feeling well?" He asked.

"No no," Danny waved his hands as if in surrender. "I just ate big breakfast, you know? Nothing to worry about."

Godfrey relaxed but his eyes still looked uncertainly at him. Danny tried to continue down the stairs, but his head got foggy, and he gripped the marble banister tightly to keep his balance when everything seemed to tilt to one side. It took him three seconds to realize he'd stumbled a bit and was leaning on the banister. Godfrey had a grip on his shoulders, and truthfully, Danny wasn't sure if he would've stayed upright without it.

"I'm fine." Danny said. It seemed as if he'd said that phrase a dozen times today. "Just clumsy."

This time Godfrey wasn't buying it. "You are not fine. Come, you need a good meal in you as soon as possible."

Godfrey began leading him by the shoulders down to the dining room despite Danny's protests. Unfortunately for the young halfa, he was too sleep deprived to put up much of a fight. However on the bright side, Godfrey believed he was just starving. It was easy enough to fake a full stomach. If he just powered through lunch, he could get Godfrey off his back. Hopefully.

Once he sat down and was served he began to think of a game plan for confronting his friend and sister. His heart burned with their betrayal, but he just hoped they just were trying to help him, it would be easier to convince them to drop the legal stuff that way. Besides, he and Vlad already had a plan.

Danny's thoughts wandered to Vlad then. Was his meeting going to involve the new laws they'd discussed? Was Vlad even going to be able to accomplish that kind of goal? Danny nervously shoved the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth and grabbed a second one.

Vlad hadn't seriously betrayed his trust, yet. But there was something nagging him, he felt like he was unable to go any further as far as his 'relationship' with Vlad was concerned. His gut was hardly ever wrong, but still...

Hurrying to finish his lunch Danny left the mansion and flew in ghost form high above the clouds to kill time. He also leisurely made his way to Sam's neighborhood, as he assumed the two girls would be meeting there as opposed to Danny and Jazz's home.

His eyes slipped closed as the lazy breeze of midday washed over him. He missed flying over Amity like this. No care in the world, just the pale blue sky, the milky white clouds, and himself.

Suddenly, he felt gravity yank him down and his eyes shot open.

Did he just fall asleep?!

Danny caught himself and hugged his arms to his chest, staring in horror at the concrete he would have landed on.

He  _ seriously _ needed a nap.

But not yet. There would be time for that later. Now, he had a job to do.

As he hovered in front of the Manson's large home, he closed in on Sam's bedroom window and cocked his head to the side. He listened with his sensitive hearing and found what he was looking for.

"I don't know, don't you think it'd be hard to convince an attorney to help us? We're just kids."

That had to be the voice of his friend Sam. So, Tucker was telling the truth. He ignored the flutter of anger in his chest and forced himself to continue listening.

"Not with this kind of evidence. I've got tons of video on my parents, since they like to document all of their tinkering and experiments."

And there was Jazz. The logical and mature tone of voice could belong to no other. Having heard enough, Danny flew through the window using intangibly and made himself visible. His eyes were hard and he frowned in constrained anger.

Jazz noticed first. "L-little brother!" She exclaimed.

"Don't you ' _ little brother _ ' me!" Danny snapped. "What's going on?!"

Sam jumped up from her sitting position on her bed next to Jazz to calm things down.

"Hold on, I know this looks bad, but-"

"Bad?" Danny scoffed. "You're going behind my back to do exactly the opposite of what we planned to do!  _ Why _ !?"

Jazz stood too, her face more frustrated than anything. "They're my parents too Danny, and you haven't had to live with them this whole time, you have to accept it; mom and dad don't care about us anymore!"

Danny's eyes glowed a toxic green, like pure ectoplasm. His heart was thudding in his chest. He refused to believe her. The protection of his family and friends was all he stood for, all he aspired to achieve. He couldn't allow himself to let them down.

He would find a way to fix this,  _ he had to _ .

"That's not true." Danny said, his voice tight. Even Sam was looking at Jazz in surprise. Yet, she couldn't blame Jazz for thinking as she did.

"Grow up already, Danny." Jazz said, her eyes getting glassy. "You can't be the hero this time. No one can. Just give it up."

Danny shook his head, hugging his arms around himself. He landed on the floor of Sam's bedroom with a soft 'plunk' of his silver boots.

"Danny..." Sam said. "Just trust us, we want to do this for you!"

"Don't you get it?!" Danny exclaimed. "I'm trying with all my power to fix this, and you're making it all the more harder! Just let me keep trying, even if this plan doesn't work, I..."

"Maddie Fenton is gone, Danny. She's not coming back." Jazz said, with no emotion in her voice.

"That's not true! In my dreams he-!"

Realizing his slip, Danny clapped his hands over his mouth. Great, Good going, Fenton.

"Danny?" Sam questioned. "What did you see?"

Danny hesitated. On the one hand, he didn't want any of them to worry about him. They had enough to deal with in their own. But on the other hand, if it would deter them from taking action against his parents...

"Well," Danny took a shaky breath. "Ever since fighting him at the pier, I've confirmed that there is a ghost involved in all of this."

Jazz's eyes widened. "Danny! Why didn't you tell us?!"

Danny shrugged, unsure of the answer himself. However Sam had a more pressing question on her mind.

"What did you mean by, 'in my dreams'?" She asked, keeping her lavender eyes on his.

Danny shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. If he told them he was staying up at night, they'd go into a frenzy. But still, Danny supposed he owed them that much information at least.

"I keep seeing him in my dreams, he calls himself Deus Ivix." Danny explained. "Sometimes, they're so intense I can barely sleep."

A little truth, a little lie, what could it hurt? All they needed to know was what the nightmares consisted of, anyway. Danny was under no obligation to tell them he stayed up as long as possible to avoid them.

"Please you guys, just let me find out how to beat this monster." Danny pleaded. "Just let me try!"

Jazz and Sam looked at eachother and Sam sighed. She hated seeing her friend so upset. Besides, they'd survived this long, what could another week or so hurt?

"We'll drop it." Sam said. Jazz looked about to argue, but Sam shook her head. "With this new info, maybe we can help."

Danny smiled genuinely and relaxed his tensed muscles. His relief did not go unnoticed by the other two.

"You should go get some rest Danny." Jazz said. "You kinda look exhausted. Is it the nightmares? Vlad isn't doing anything to you, is he?"

Danny would have found her question completely legitimate a month ago, but now he just chuckled. Vlad wouldn't be able to hurt a single hair on his head, aside from training of course.

"Nah, I can handle the fruitloop. I'll see you guys later, mk?" Danny called, backing up towards the window. The girls waved to him as he left and headed off into the clouds again. The higher he flew, the less of a chance there was he would be seen.

Relaxed as he seemed, inside Danny was still not sure he could trust his angered and hurt sibling to keep her word. Sam he knew wouldn't dare betray Danny after directly promising to drop the issue, but his sister was a lot more tricky than she seemed. He would know, she'd pulled elaborate pranks on Danny since grade school.

Either way, the business was done with. No matter what conflicting emotions he still had. He just wished it hadn't come to telling his friend and sister about his nightmares. Two more people knowing meant twice the chance of Vlad finding out. And he couldn't have that. His pride couldn't handle it!

As his cheeks heated at the thought, his sensitive hearing caught a strange sounds he hadn't heard in awhile.

A scream.

Fueled by adrenaline, Danny dove from the cover of the cloudy sky down to the busy district below. His eyes scanned the ground for any sign of trouble, and it didn't take long to find the source of the commotion.

The big, bad, metal ghost himself flew directly in his direction, a smug smile on his face at the chaos beneath them. When Skulker's eyes focused on Danny, his pupil-less eyes seemed to light up.

"Well well, if it isn't the ghost child himself!" Skulker's taunted, halting his ascent just mere feet away. "I thought you'd gone into hiding, but this is much better. For me, anyway!"

With the loud declaration Skulker lunged forward and threw an ectoblast at Danny, who skillfully dodged but was tossed to the side by a swiping metal arm flinging him to the right of Skulker. Danny quickly retaliated with an ectoblast of his own and succeeded in striking Skulker in the left shoulder.

Skulker, now enraged, roared and unveiled two mini rocket-launchers from his forearm and fired at Danny with no hesitation. Danny turned and flew at top speed away from the ectoplasm-seeking rockets and tossed Ice behind him, forcing the rockets to explode. What he didn't expect, was Skulker emerging from the smoke and throwing a punch at Danny. Without time to fully react, Danny was only able to hold up a weak shield.

His shield was shattered on impact and Skulker's fist solidly connected with Danny's gut. He was thrown back and landed harshly on top of a nearby building. He coughed violently, not needing oxygen but still uncomfortable with getting the wind knocked out of him. Skulker's boots came into vision and Danny grunted when his hair was viciously grabbed and yanked upward.

He forced himself to be calm as Skulker conjured a blade from his suit and held it at Danny's throat.

"It's honestly a bit sad you've gotten so rusty, whelp." Skulker said. "You know how much I enjoy a challenge."

Danny grounded himself as well as he could and charged his hands with energy.

"Then I better not disappoint, huh?"

Danny swung both his hands up and shot a powerful blast directly into the centre of the ghost's metal chest. Skulker gave a cry of surprise and released Danny, an electric sparking beginning to light up around him. Cords of all colors emerged from the gaping hole in the armor, sizzling and popping. Danny quickly regained his bearings and shot into the air, leaving a writhing, injured Skulker behind.

Danny flew as quickly as possible in the direction of the mansion, but his energy was draining fast. His eyes were blurring in and out of focus. His fatigue was finally catching up with him. Danny dropped onto a rooftop and bent to lean his hands on his knees. He lost the energy to keep himself in ghost form and soon was kneeling on the rooftop, fully human. He looked up at the sky and sighed as he realized it was growing late already. Vlad wouldn't be happy arriving home and Danny being missing.

Danny's breathing was ragged and laboured, and he was sure he could still feel the shot he took to the shoulder just moments ago. It seemed his healing abilities were slowed with his lack of energy.

Though his ghost form did not require sleep, his human half greatly affected the condition it was in, just as when his ice powers went unused he felt like he was freezing despite being 100% human.

"This reeks." Danny complained. "It can't get any worse!"

His phone buzzed in his back pocket and Danny sighed dramatically.

"I've got to stop jinxing myself." He mumbled, pulling out the device and seeing the caller ID.

Vlad.

Danny answered and put the phone to his ear. Before he could say a word, Vlad was yelling.

_ "Daniel! Where on Earth are you?! I've searched all over the house and you're nowhere to be found! Explain yourself!" _

Danny winced at the tone the man used and tried to force his breathing to slow. He felt dizzy, and abnormally hot. He wouldn't be able to fly back on his own in this condition.

"Come get me, then." Danny said.

_ "Excuse me? This is serious!" Shouted Vlad. "Why in the world didn't you tell anyone where you were going?! This is- are you out of breath?" _

Danny rubbed his eyes with his free hand, trying to relieve the fuzziness from his vision, before realizing he was so dizzy he was experiencing blurred vision.

"I'm serious. Come get me." Danny said once more, before he shakily hung up and dropped to the ground, out cold.

The last thing Vlad had expected upon his arrival back home was a worried butler and oblivious staff, all wondering the same thing.

Where was Daniel?

Vlad had exploded in anger, thinking Danny had disobeyed him and entered the ghost Zone, but upon searching through his lab's security camera's feed he found that Daniel hadn't set foot into his lab at all that day.

A quick sweep of the house and searching of his ghost signature proved Daniel was not in the mansion , either. Thus, Vlad decided to call his cellphone.

The conversation that had followed was more than a little confusing.

Vlad took his cell phone from his ear and frowned in confusion. Daniel had sounded seriously out of breath, which was never a good sign. Especially for Daniel, who was never knocked down easily. Vlad was especially curious as to what Daniel had gone out for now more than ever.

_ 'Come get me.' _

* * *

 

With Daniel now living with him Vlad was thrown into a worrying reality in which he had the dire need to know where Daniel was and how he was physically at all times. As his temporary guardian of sorts, it only seemed natural.

Right now, both those rights were being impeded on, and he didn't like it one bit. The billionaire quickly turned on a feature on his phone, one that would give him the exact location Daniel was in, or, the exact location his phone was in, and memorized the coordinates. He was in the middle of town! What was he doing in such an obvious location?

Vlad stood from his desk chair and crossed the space of his office while stuffing the phone into his inner suit pocket.

Vlad then changed to Plasmius and exited the large house with the help of his powers in pursuit of Daniel. The boy wasn't too far away, as Vlad's own home was not very distanced from the most busy part of the town.

The problem was his nerves. Each second seemed to drag on and a five minute trip felt like an eternity not knowing what shape he was going to find Daniel in. When the building Danny had been located at came into view, Vlad couldn't help the sigh of relief that pushed past his lips.

Vlad's eyebrow quirked upwards at identifying the building as a standard apartment complex, and didn't see any real reason Danny would be inside. Unless...

Vlad descended onto the flat roof and scanned the area. His blood red eyes landed on Danny's limp body and he shot towards him as fast as possible.

He swiftly and skillfully checked the unconscious boy's pulse and gave a sigh of relief when he found it a little shaky, but otherwise alright. Vlad checked over Danny's easily accessible areas for injuries and, finding none, scooped him up into his arms as gently as he could. Danny did not stir in the slightest. He truly was out cold.

Vlad took no time at all returning to the mansion and the first thing he did was get Daniel to his room and into bed. He then flew to the connected bathroom and retrieved a small towel which he made damp with water. He brought it back to Daniel's room and draped the cloth over the teenager's forehead, not knowing what else he could do.

Daniel sighed as the cloth was applied and seemed to relax a bit. Vlad allowed himself to relax as well and pulled Daniel's desk chair to the bed to sit beside him. He was still curious about where the younger halfa had gone off to and wasn't going to mentally rest until he had answers. Now that he knew Daniel wasn't in any immediate danger he was furious at the clearly poorly thought-out decision the boy had made.

And after all the billionaire had done to keep him safe, he runs out and endangers himself! Oh, what Vlad would do when that child woke up...!

Danny groaned in his sleep and Vlad's eyes snapped to the sleeping pest. Danny's eyes were squeezed shut and he was tensed up like a coiled spring.

Vlad sighed and let his ectosignature go unrepressed slightly, allowing Daniel to sense him there without physical contact. Daniel's mouth opened in a gasp and a blue mist waded out of it, causing the boy to shiver. After this however, he relaxed and seemed to accept Vlad's presence. Good thing too, because Vlad was not about to touch him and get caught by the brat in his tyrannical deep-sleep state, again!

Vlad leaned back and let his body relax further. His plans for their mutual ghost enemy could wait for now. His work for the city certainly could wait as well.

For now, Vlad believed a nap would be just the thing he needed right now. After that, he would deal with everything.

* * *

 

**_Next Chapter: New Revelations come to light and the biggest question is finally asked; Can Danny truly trust Vlad Masters?_ **

* * *

 


	15. Test of Faith

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 15: Test of Faith**

Two days had come and gone since Vlad had carried Daniel back home to the mansion. Every Time Vlad asked the teenager why he'd gone out and how he'd gotten in such a state, he was met with hostility or passiveness. Daniel seemed to have become an expert at shrugging.

Irritating as it was, Vlad couldn't bring himself to push Daniel to give him answers. He wasn't the boy's father, yet. Despite their alliance, there were many things the two still fought over, and the billionaire was sure that Daniel didn't see Vlad as anything other than a necessary nuisance.

A nuisance that Vlad was sure wouldn't grow into anything more if he didn't earn the child's trust sometime soon. Daniel felt safer with him, that was obvious, but Vlad didn't feel like the boy trusted him. No, Daniel trusted him about as far as he could throw him, and even then he still was suspicious of Vlad at all times.

Daniel expected Vlad to turn around and betray him. It was written on the boy's face, and displayed in his actions. Vlad wasn't to be trusted. He couldn't exactly blame Daniel though, he hadn't always had the boy's best interest at heart...

Vlad mused over the events of the past two days while standing in front of his high-tech computer system. He had forced Daniel to stay in bed yesterday too recuperate, though it was more of a punishment than anything else. The boy had driven him up a wall with worry!

The man couldn't help but smirk remembering Daniel's incredulous expression at being confined to his room all day. Vlad had strangely felt like a parent forcing a child to eat his vegetables.

But he wasn't the boy's parent. He had to keep reminding himself of that little detail. Indeed, he wasn't even close to being Daniel's guardian. Not yet at least.

Vlad reached over and dragged a page of security camera footage to the large center screen. It was live footage from the Fenton's kitchen. Maddie and Jasmine seemed to be arguing. Vlad turned up the volume and frowned as angry voices filtered through the speakers.

_ "You won't keep him from me, Jazz! I will find him, and I'll end that monster Phantom!" _

Vlad cringed, lowering the volume again. Even he couldn't take the harsh tone of what looked and sounded like the love of his life. He knew it was anything but the real Maddie, but hearing her voice and seeing her face go against everything the real Maddie stood for made Vlad more than a little upset.

He was reminded of Daniel, and how Vlad had plans for the two of them today. Daniel would not be happy about it one bit, but Vlad was finished playing games with such a dangerous ghost. One that had incapacitated Daniel more than once.

It was Vlad's turn to execute a plan. One that sadly, might end up with Daniel hating him. But Vlad Masters couldn't let an opportunity pass him by. Not when the stakes were so high.

Vlad shut down the computer and turned to walk upstairs for breakfast, his decision made.

Danny rubbed his tired eyes with the heels of his palms with a strained sigh. While he had been in bed for all of the previous day, he had avoided sleep like the plague. However unfortunately for him, he couldn't fight it come nighttime and just like usual he'd woken up shaky and sweaty from a newly formed nightmare.

As he sat up in bed taking deep breaths to calm himself, Danny thought about the strange behavior displayed by Vlad the past two days. He'd been extremely gentle and calm when he first woke up after being carried home, even to the point where Danny was annoyed at the 'mother hen' side of him that Vlad was displaying.

But come the next morning, Vlad had immediately interrogated him about everything. Where he'd been, who he'd been with, why he'd left, and how he'd ended up unconscious.

Danny felt slightly guilty about it, but he mostly told Vlad what he wanted to hear, leaving out most of the true facts of his outing to keep himself out of trouble. Or rather, off of Vlad's lap...

Though it had all been in vain anyway since he'd still been confined to his room all day to 'recover and relax'. Danny was almost sure Vlad just wanted to keep an eye on him.

But now that Danny had once again experienced a nightmare and was exhausted, Danny found himself wishing he could stay in bed again today.

Despite his swimming vision and dizziness Danny forced himself out of bed to shower and change for the day. He'd missed a whole day of tutoring, Vlad was sure to have it in for him come time for lessons.

Once freshly showered and ready for the morning Danny made his way down to the dining room as slowly as possible. Seeing Vlad was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment...

Danny shook his head, clearing the childish thoughts. He had to get along with the guy, not avoid him! Danny searched his brain for something he might want to see Vlad for. Of course, using his portal came to mind, but Vlad had already denied that particular request with a...convincing warning. Still, if Vlad was anything like his own Dad, (which was possible, they  _ had _ roomed together for a substantial amount of time.) He could be persuaded if Danny tried hard enough.

Besides, Danny was itching to go to the Ghost Zone. He had always craved it when he was in ghost form, but since he hadn't been there in a while, the feeling was growing even stronger. Vlad had to understand that, they were both halfas after all!

Danny nodded his head as if to affirm his decision and walked into the dining room. As usual, Vlad was already seated at the head of the table with the morning newspaper in his hands. He casually glanced over the top of the page as Danny walked in, acknowledging him.

"Good morning, Daniel." Vlad said as Danny took his seat. "I trust you are feeling well today."

Danny's breakfast was placed in front of him by the chef who gave him a quick smile before leaving to the kitchen. Danny observed the lightly salted scrambled eggs and sausage links hungrily before remembering Vlad had asked him a question...

"Yeah, I'm totally fine." Danny said. He dug into his food without a second glance. Vlad would probably get on him for his awful manners but now wasn't the time. He was trying to finish quickly in order to have ample time to persuade Vlad to let him use the portal.

Danny swallowed the mountain of food crammed into his mouth and sat up straight. Alright Fenton, you can do this.

"So uh-" Vlad looked at him and Danny struggled not to look away. "I-I know you kinda already said no, but, well I really- I was  _ wondering _ if I could...use your portal for a little while...?"

"What?" Vlad prompted.

"I-It's just that I've been here for so long when before I would go into the Ghost Zone almost every other day," Danny started rambling when he couldn't read the expression on Vlad's face. "I get that I need to be safe and all that, really I do, but I can't keep sitting here doing nothing, I'm a hero for crying out loud-"

"You may go."

"And a hero has to keep up with his allies, even if they're in another dimens- wait, what?" Danny stuttered. Vlad chuckled.

"I said, you may go to the Ghost Zone." Vlad explained. "But don't think you're going alone. I have some business to take care of and I'll allow you to join me. If-!"

Vlad forced himself to release the tension in his muscles. Allowing Daniel to put himself in harm's way, even if Vlad was alongside himself, was difficult. He always managed to look back to Daniel's bloodied and battered body in his mind's eye, especially looking to the criss-cross scars that ran up and down the boy's arms. He remembered how he'd fought to keep the child alive, and resented the fact that he must do this. For both of them.

"If," Vlad repeated. "You do everything I ask, no questions, no second guessing. You must obey me on the first order, do you understand Daniel?"

Danny frowned at the man's tone of voice. He sounded as if he we're taking Danny to a battlefield. Danny rolled his eyes but decided that if he wanted to go to the Ghost Zone he would have to submit to Vlad this time. Besides, he could always slip away when they went into the Zone.

"Alright, I understand. Geez Vlad, I'm not that weak, I can handle myself." Danny replied to the man eagerly. His excitement was beginning to grow.

"I would never imply that you are anything less than an exceptional child, Daniel." Vlad agreed. "Now, we will head out after lunch. So I believe we should begin getting you caught up in some of your lessons for now."

Danny groaned dramatically and dropped his head to the table in mock despair. Vlad was one grueling tutor, that was for certain. Though he was actually getting better at remembering what he learned, and was able to keep a passing grade in most subjects.

Vlad stood from the table and gestured for Danny to follow.

'it's gonna be a long day.' Thought Danny, as he jumped up as to not fall behind.

* * *

After Danny was caught up in his studies and the two halfas had eaten lunch, Vlad and Danny descended into the lab. The secret, metallic themed, electronic filled room was larger than Danny remembered, though he hadn't exactly gotten a good look when fighting for his life.

"Now," Vlad said, breaking the silence. "I believe I don't have to repeat how imperative it is that you obey me at all times. No questions, no objections."

Danny rolled his eyes. Vlad acted as if Danny was headed to war! The younger half ghost nodded and waited patiently for the man to activate the portal that would transport them to the ghost's dimension.

Once the swirling green portal came to life, Vlad kept Danny behind him, walking slowly to the portal while changing into ghost form. Danny noticed and did the same, allowing his ghost side to envelope his human one.

"We should not be attacked from the other side, but just in case, I'll go in first." Vlad said. Danny indulged the billionaire and followed only a few steps behind him.

Once they were in the Ghost Zone, Danny breathed a silent sigh of relief. He felt instantly less tense now that his ghost half was in its 'natural habitat' so to speak.

"As I told you before," Vlad said, floating to Danny's side. "I have business to attend to first. The sooner we hurry this along the quicker we'll get home."

Danny didn't need to be told twice. He knew that any unnecessary exposure in here was as

good as showing up on Skulker's doorstep already bound. There were no humans here, not many places to hide, and worst of all, most of Danny's enemies lived here.

"Lead the way, V-Man!" Danny replied. Vlad huffed at the nickname but flew off with Danny close behind.

As the two traveled along, Danny thought about who he would like to see here if he could manage to convince Vlad to let him visit some allies. Frostbite and Clockwork immediately came to mind, but Vlad didn't know Clockwork, and Danny really didn't want to deal with a mess like that right now. Clockwork was a mysterious and secretive guy, he wouldn't take kindly to Danny bringing a stranger to his home.

The further into the Ghost Zone they went the more concerned Danny became. He began checking off a mental checklist of lairs the two of them passed, trying to figure out where they were going. When the dimension became more orderly, the doors looking more uniform and the air holding less and less chaotic tension, the teen seemed to figure out where they were headed.

And he didn't like it.

"Uh, Vlad?" Danny called, flying to his right side.

Vlad was silent as tall floating walls topped with barbed wire came into view. Walker's Prison, security guards and all, was gradually getting closer and closer.

"Daniel." Vlad said, slowing down. "In order for this to go well, you must speak as little as possible. Just follow behind me and try not to get into trouble."

Danny was too apprehensive to do anything more than nod. Having been an inmate at the jail before, he was not too eager to be back inside the drab colored building.

Vlad led them in and the guards seemed not to mind at all. Though when Danny passed by, they gave him evil smirks and sometimes chuckled under their breath in his direction. Danny stayed as close to Vlad as he dared, recognizing as they flew that they were headed to Walker's office.

As the guards at Walker's office doors let them in, announcing them both with amusement in their expressions, Danny felt extremely claustrophobic when the doors snapped shut behind them.

"Well, well." Came the voice of the warden, who stood facing the two from behind his desk. "If it isn't the ghost punk. Come to turn yourself in?"

"In your dreams, Walker." Danny replied. He forced himself to stand beside Vlad instead of behind him, knowing he looked more intimidating in full view. Though he didn't feel very intimidating right now...

"Now that introductions are out of the way..." Vlad drawled. "I do believe you know why I'm here, warden."

Danny was getting more confused by the second, and he regretted coming with Vlad in the first place. Why couldn't he have just waited outside? This clearly didn't concern him.

"Indeed we did. And you have definitely delivered on your part, surprising as that is." Said Walker, turning his beady eyes toward Danny. "But I don't want the little brat hearing anything, so I'll let my men have some fun with him before he serves his sentence. This time, in full."

Danny felt his core tighten and he tensed, looking to Vlad for an explanation. The billionaire simply kept his gaze straight ahead. Walker snapped his fingers, and a group of about six guards, all armed, flooded into the room. Danny snapped into a battle stance.

"What's going on?! There's no way I'm letting you throw me in one of your creepy jail cells, Walker!" Danny said, his confidence displayed in his voice. Though on the inside, he was confused and panicking.

"So sorry to hear that, punk." Walker said. "But it looks like you're outnumbered this time. Guards, seize him!"

The green security guards all shot their weapons at Danny simultaneously and rushed at him. Danny went intangibly and dodged out of the way of the baton's blasts. The guards charged at him and Danny turned human, hoping they wouldn't be able to touch him.

Luck was on his side, and they guards passed right through him. Danny got out of the dog pile of prison guards and looked victoriously at Walker. In return, the suit-clad ghost simply smirked at him.

Danny suddenly felt a soft glove on his neck, and a rush of ectoplasmic energy went washing into his system.

Vlad had snuck up behind him and pushed his own energy into Danny, taking advantage of the knowledge that Danny hadn't been to the Ghost Zone in a while and his Ghost half was depleted of a healthy amount of energy. The ectoplasm instantly woke up Danny's ghostly core and his chest shone brightly before the rings appeared at his waist and forced him to transform. Before Danny could say a word Vlad dipped his head down to the boy's ear to whisper.

"Stay calm."

Danny couldn't say anything in return as he was shot by the recovering guards and gagged. His feet and hands were instantly bound in green chains and cuffs and he struggled to release their tight hold to no avail.

Panic rose in his chest as the guards pulled him from Vlad's hold and pushed him towards the door. He heard Walker chuckling behind him and forced himself not to freak out.

"Try not to disfigure him beyond recognition before I get ahold of him, will you?" Said Walker in an amused voice.

The door slammed shut, closing off Vlad's view of Danny. Already, concern was growing in his chest.

He had intended for his plot to succeed before Danny was taken away, but it seems like fate had other plans. He could only hope Danny was mental strong enough to keep himself in control. He wanted the building intact when he went through with his plan.

"Alright Warden." Said Vlad, snapping the ghost out of his reverie. "You have the boy, it is now time for answers."

Walker regrettably nodded and sat down in his chair. He motioned for Vlad to take a seat in the single chair opposite his desk as he put on a straight face.

"I can only tell you what I know." Walker began. "We held this thing in a high-security containment and isolation cell for centuries. It had a human form, at one point, since the One-Eyed Freaks had bought him to us in chains, looking like any other criminal. 'cept for his eyes."

"His eyes...?" Vlad prompted.

"Yeah, you've never seen a more vibrant, violent, purple than those. Sucked ya right in." The warden paused for a moment, as if remembering them. "After we had him contained, he turned into a dark, misty form and tried for weeks to escape. Almost did, too, and I lost more than a dozen men at the hands of that beast."

"What did it do exactly?" Vlad asked, curiously.

"Pulled the life force right out of 'em, it looked like. Scary stuff. That's when we started looking into exactly what it was we were keeping here. And the information we got was beyond crazy." Walker leaned forward, as if telling a secret. "The 'ghost' is more of a parasite, than any other spirit you'll find around here. Worse than that hag Spectra, and more powerful than you or me. It's older than Pariah 'mself, and it used to feed on the lost souls of the Ghost Realm."

"What do you mean, 'used to feed'?" Vlad pressed. Walker shook his head.

"I'm gettin' there, hold your horses." Said Walker in reply. "The Observants gave it the name 'Deus Ivix' which in our old tongue meant 'God of Order'. They took control of the monster for...population control, you see. This realm isn't as infinite as we think. As the years pass more and more ghosts inhabit this place, and some, according to the council, aren't 'useful' enough to stay."

Vlad sat still, silent at the revelation. He knew the Observants had twisted views, but he hadn't thought they'd go that far. To dispose of ghosts at such a grand scale...

"Well, after a while, Ivix got tired of ghost's as sustenance, and began to go after humans." Vlad's eyes flashed. "It found that humans were much more gullible than ghosts, and it started tricking humans into making a deal with it, in order for the ghost to have full reign over the victim's body and soul until the deal is complete."

"How do we stop it?" Vlad questioned. He couldn't imagine what the beast was doing to his precious Maddie...

"It can't be destroyed, it's too old and powerful for that. But it can be contained." He nodded toward the door. "One of the brat's soup cans should work just fine. It's getting it to reveal itself that'll give you trouble. But, that's not my problem."

Vlad took the hint and stood, a pleasant look on his face. "I thank you, warden. This information will help us greatly. Now, I believe we have one other matter to discuss."

Vlad walked over to the large doors and knocked twice. In came Bullet, and a large number of other prison workers, all sneering at Walker.

"What is this? You should all be watching the prisoners!" Walker exclaimed, standing from his seat.

"This," Said Vlad. "Would be what we call a 'coup'. Your men have realized they would rather fight for a winning side, one that doesn't allow prisoners to escape so easily."

The guards all nodded in agreement.

"You work for me now, warden." Vlad said. "I'll expect you to realize as well that you cannot hope to best me, and stand down."

Walker was speechless. He looked to how guards and they all held the same expression. Plasmius wasn't kidding. He was being overthrown by his own men!

Realizing his defeat, Walker slumped back into his desk chair. "You've got me, Plasmius. Well played. But this isn't the end, I'll get you for this!"

Vlad accepted the surrender for what it was and decided he couldn't afford to waste anymore time. The guards that were with Daniel were close to Walker, and hadn't been recruited by Bullet in time. Vlad was cutting it close...

As the group flew farther and farther away from Walker's office Danny felt his panic rise. Vlad had totally betrayed him! Hurt pressed against his chest but he squashed it down. He could get the fruitloop back for it later, but now he had a big problem on his hands. He was completely surrounded by guards, and there was no other ghost prisoners to help him out this time.

They approached a dimly lit hallway with rows of steel, heavily secured doors on either side. Danny could hear muffled shouts and cries from inside and kept his eyes cast downward. He didn't dare look into the small windows on the doors as they passed, afraid of what he might see. The screams got louder and Danny shuddered. The guards closest to him noticed and laughed out loud. Danny grit his teeth behind the gag and lifted his head up, determined to show no weakness.

They finally reached a larger version of the doors Danny had previously seen, and opened it. Once Danny looked inside, he automatically wished he hadn't.

Chains lined the walls secured to the wall with racks upon racks of devices Danny couldn't nor wanted to recognize. In the centre of the room was something startlingly familiar that made him freeze into place. A long table, surrounded by small carts of equipment that all looked deadly, sat menacingly in full view. It's steel coating gleaming under the bright lights that contrasted the ones in the hallways.

"Move it kid!" The guard on his left shouted, shoving Danny forward. Two of the six guards stayed outside, on either side of the door frame. Danny saw another two depart and do the same once the doors closed, standing on the the doorframe parallel to their partners.

"Been waitin' a long time for this, now up ya go." Said the goon on his right, and he was swiftly lifted and dropped onto the table in less than three seconds. Danny was released of his bonds and struggled endlessly. He managed to punch the left hand guard in the neck and received a backhand to his face in return. While he lay dazed the other guard strapped his arms and legs to the table.

"The warden said we can't disfigure ya, but there's plenty of things we can do without damaging ya permanently." Said the guard on the left, rubbing his neck.

The right hand guard, who looked amused that his friend was injured, turned and grabbed a long, filled needle, that was glowing a sickening pink.

"W-Wait." Danny tried to force out through the gag. But no one paid attention to his plea as the needle punctured his chest, dead center.

"Works quicker if we inject it into the core." Said Righty. "You'll be limp as a noodle in no time!"

Danny couldn't hold back the shiver of pain as the needle pierced his skin. He felt his chest constrict after it was removed, and a wash of tingly goosebumps settled on his body. He was gradually going numb.

Lefty had something in his hand but Danny couldn't move his head to look. What came into view a few moments later was what looked like a funnel rushing towards his face. The gag was released and as Danny gasped the thing entered his mouth. Danny struggled as hard as he could but couldn't get any slack in his bonds.

"Ever drink toxic ectoplasm before? Nasty stuff, intensifies the core's pure power and makes ya go crazy." Lefty explained. Danny's eyes widened in disbelief. "Never tried it on a freak like you though, gotta say I'm curious how you'll react."

Righty held his neck tightly as Lefty snatched a glowing yellow-green bottle and began pouring it into the funnel. Danny didn't need to breathe in ghost form, and thankfully that helped him hold off on swallowing for a few precious seconds, before Righty leaned over and punched him in the stomach. The pain forced him to gasp and the liquid flooded into his mouth and down his throat. It tasted like raw metal and burned like alcohol on the way down. But instead of a warm, numbing sensation afterwards, he felt a violent, constricting pain blossom in his chest.

He writhed on the table, trying the dispel the contents of his stomach from him. But the more he struggled, the more ectoplasm he managed to swallow, until almost half the bottle was gone.

Finally, Lefty turned and took the funnel away, leaving Danny gasping and trying to spit out the horrible taste of what was the ghost equivalent to blood. He cried out as the ectoplasm surged throughout his body and burned his senses and insides continuously. He held back sobs of excruciating pain but two large tears streaked down his cheeks in unison.

Danny clenched his teeth so hard his head pounded at the pressure, and his hands were squeezed so tight he could feel beads of blood form under his fingernails.

He was suddenly back in his parent's lab. His mother standing over him, her eyes shining what almost looked like magenta. He knew it wasn't real, but he panicked anyway.

Danny screamed and the guards laughed. The boy couldn't stand the thought of being back there, with no one but his possessed parent hacking away at his resolve with pain and suffering.

The halfa screamed. This time, blue waves of anguish blasted from his mouth to the room around him. The guards were flung back into the walls.

The table crumbled underneath him and Danny forced himself onto his knees, keeping his wail as powerful as possible and aimed toward the doors, that broke like splinters under his voice.

The guards were all unconscious once Danny finally finished. His head hung low and his vision swam in and out of focus. But he couldn't allow himself the relief of unconsciousness. He needed help.

"Vlad..." Danny choked out.

The half ghost man flew at dangerous speeds through the hallways, Bullet beside him and guiding him to where the sick employees had taken Daniel. His eyes were a shining red as he thought of the many ways he could destroy the beings that dared hurt Daniel under his care.

The lights grew dim as they entered the torture chambers' hall, and Vlad could finally sense Daniel's ectosignature. It was strong and youthful as always, but fluttering and panicky as well.

'I told him to stay calm!' Vlad thought. Not seconds later, the two were stopped, forced to the ground with their hands over their ears.

Daniel's Ghostly Wail pierced the air like a siren of distress. It wasn't close enough to harm them, but the sound was gut wrenching and loud enough to forced both of them to their knees.

The pure, raw power continued to pour out for a few seconds more before it died out and silence reigned.

Vlad shot back into the air, more urgent this time, and flew to the source of the sound. He caught sight of the rubble that had once been a torture chamber wall and hurried inside. He froze, scanning the destroyed room for a sign of life, when he heard it.

"Vlad..."

Plasmius finally spotted the mop of dirtied white hair and raced to it, with Bullet not far behind.

"Should I call the medic?" Bullet offered.

"No, he's coming home with me." Vlad said, scooping up the boy with as much care as he could.

"Daniel, can you hear me?" Vlad asked, intangibly flying them out of the building.

Danny looked at him and opened his mouth to speak, but his face scrunched up in pain and his hands shot to his throat.

"Don't try to talk, you've screamed yourself mute." Vlad explained, holding Danny closer when he felt him start to panic. "Stay calm."

The phrase only seemed to rile the boy up more, as Danny remembered that Vlad had been the one to betray him in the first place. Danny struggled in Vlad's grip and gave the man an accusing glare. Vlad sighed and kept flying towards his portal.

"I know you're mad at me, but save it for later." Said Vlad, then he frowned. "We must deal with your injuries first."

Danny huffed, which sounded more like a distressed wheeze, and settled for crossing his arms and giving Vlad a death glare.

He couldn't hold it for too long, however. The feeling of Vlad's strong core close to his and his overall exhaustion made it too difficult to stay awake, and he passed out in Vlad's arms, his head resting on Vlad's chest.

When Danny first opened his eyes, he felt much better than he had when he'd last been conscious. Though his throat ached a great deal. Danny recognized the starry ceiling that was his bedroom in Vlad's manor and sighed, knowing he was safe.

In the next instant, however, Danny growled and sat up. Vlad had sold him to Walker! He'd saved him in the end, yeah, but Danny totally needed an explanation! What was Vlad thinking?!

Danny's eyes flashed green and he turned to throw his legs over the side of the bed when he stopped.

There, in a chair beside his bed, sat Vlad. He was slumped over, a rare sight, with his cheek resting on his propped up fist.

Danny sighed. This was the second time he'd woken up with Vlad watching over him. And he also hadn't had a single nightmare. Danny would never admit it, but he felt infinitely more safe with Vlad than his own family. He didn't have to worry about defending his folks or his sister if a ghost came crashing through the window right at that moment.

So he decided Vlad could be the responsible one for once, and Danny turned onto his side, facing the billionaire. He laid back down and went back to sleep. Praying for a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**_Next Chapter: Butlers know more than they let on._ **

* * *

 

  
  



	16. In The Beginning There Was Godfrey

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 16: In the Beginning There Was Godfrey**

_Danny stood stock still. Unable to move, barely able to breathe._

_His house seemed to be devoid of color, everything around him was slightly blurred and dark._

_He was dreaming, Danny was sure of it. But he couldn't do a thing about it. All he could do was watch._

_She was there, no-_ _**it** _ _was there, using her, deceiving everyone. It stood in the kitchen, a sadistic smile on its face as Ivix washed a scalpel coated in green ectoplasm. Danny wanted to vomit, or maybe scream, he wasn't quite sure which._

_Maddie's form shifted to face him, lavender flashing magenta for a brief moment before settling again. Danny felt anger bubble up inside him. His mother's freedom relied on him, and so far he'd done nothing to rescue her. He was supposed to be a hero, but lately it was Danny himself that needed the saving._

_Jack walked into view, hazy looking and blurred like he was moving at supersonic speed. He hugged 'Maddie' and spoke in an echoing voice._

_"Hey honey! I heard some ghostly screamin' from the lab. Did ya tear apart another ghost, molecule by molecule?" The big man said, his voice excited and childlike._

_Danny rolled his eyes. His father's ignorance was usually endearing, but right now Danny could hardly tolerate the sound of the larger parent's innocent ideals being spoken._

_"You know it, hun." 'Maddie' said cheerfully. "Did you find the ghost boy yet? You know how much our son means to me, every moment that ghost has him I'm so worried we'll find him dead!"_

_Danny opened his mouth to shout 'LIAR!' but no sound came through. His body tensed and he fought to move. But it was all useless. He never did get free during a nightmare, it was always the same. He would be forced to become a spectator to the destruction of his life, with absolutely no choice in the matter._

_"Sorry Mads, there's been no sign of him since the mayor's speech." Jack replied._

_"Oh I know he's still in town, but we have to get him to come out of hiding. He's using mayor Masters as a shield. But it won't work for long." Maddie forcefully slammed the scalpel onto the kitchen table. "I'll get him. I'll get him in my grasp if I have to burn down all of Amity Park!"_

_Danny's body suddenly grew burning hot and he screamed, writhing under the intense gaze of magenta eyes piercing into his blue, human ones._

* * *

Danny bolted upright, sweaty and panicked. Once he realized where he was, he sighed dramatically and then groaned. It seemed to be impossible to get a good night's rest unless he all but passed out from exhaustion. But last night he'd fallen asleep normally, forgetting about his 'minor problem'.

That problem being these intense dreams that refused to leave him alone!

Danny turned back and looked at the clock in his bedside table. It read 4:58 am. Almost a whole 2 hours before he was supposed to be woken up. Great.

He slid out of bed, thoroughly bothered. There was no way he was going back to sleep now. Danny dressed quickly and made his way down to the first floor. Heading to the eastern side of the house, Danny's dream replayed in his head. What did it mean?

Danny shook his head to clear the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings and opened the door to the music room.

The young halfa made his way to the large instrument towards the centre of the ensemble of instruments, sluggishly moving his feet with severe tiredness.

Piano was something he was still getting used to, the only thing he used to listen to at home was Dumpty Humpty, and the occasional Classical music Jazz had forced him to listen to.

Despite all that, Danny found it easy to learn when he had a single teacher tutoring him one on one. Admittedly, he felt the same way with the rest of his subjects when Vlad would tutor him in the mornings. He imagined that if he could just have Vlad tutor him, he would be able to pick up his grades in school in no time at all.

As Danny plunked notes from an unknown melody he thought of the horrors that were occurring in his home at that very moment, and also the differences he'd noticed between being at Fenton Works and being in Vlad's care.

The major difference was plain to see. He wasn't fighting for his life here. He didn't have to hide, to lie, to be ashamed of what Vlad would do if he found out about Danny Phantom. Vlad lived with the same condition as Danny, things were easier to explain when you had someone who understood where you were coming from.

Small details and actions has made big impacts between the two of them. Danny was still livid that Vlad used him to get to Walker (although he did explain everything to him after they woke up in Danny's bedroom, where Vlad had patched him up) and he was still not ever going to get used to Vlad's embarrassing punishments. Though he was determined he wasn't ever going to give the man a reason to punish him again.

Danny sighed and let the final note die into the silence. He dropped his aching, unfocused head into his hands and rubbed at his forehead. Just remembering his situation gave him a headache.

"Rough night?" A gentle voice said from behind him.

Danny jumped and whirled around as best he could while sandwiched between the piano and bench and tensed. He spotted the grey blue eyes of Godfrey and relaxed.

But, Godfrey was a ghost. Why couldn't Danny sense him? Danny sighed once more realizing his sleep deprivation was affecting him in more ways than one.

"I'm fine." Danny said, standing. "Just woke up too early, that's all."

Godfrey smiled knowingly as Danny walked towards him to exit the room. He planned to go back to his bedroom, but the butler had other plans.

"Would you like some tea?" Godfrey offered, continuing before Danny could object. "It is the chef's day off and I must prepared breakfast, so the kitchen is ours. Besides, tea helps to clear the mind. 'Waking up too early' tends to make one anxious."

Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do." He said.

The ghost butler led him to the kitchen where the faint scent of cinnamon was drifting in the air. Danny sat on a tall stool next to a counter. Godfrey turned to the source of the smell, a small covered plate, and revealed deliciously made French toast. He handed the plate to Danny who accepted it gratefully, his stomach now making its hunger known.

As Danny munched on the toast Godfrey began preparing tea, with the air around them soon morphing into a calm, sweet vanilla smell.

"You know," Godfrey said conversationally. "I cannot help but notice the...tension, between you and Mr. Masters at times. Are you not allies?"

Danny watched Godfrey's back from under his dark lashes, wondering what the old ghost was getting at. He sighed and shifted uncomfortable on his seat, swiping crumbs from his lips before replying.

"Well," Danny began. "Vlad just likes things to be his way, and...I can't fit into his perfect fantasy, no matter how nice he is to me."

Godfrey hummed in affirmation. He turned from the pot to look at Danny, his usual content smile replaced with a serious tight lipped expression.

"Do you not think that perhaps these circumstances- however macabre they might be- have given both you and Mr. Masters somewhat of a second chance?" Godfrey paused and Danny seemed reluctant to reply, so he continued.

"Things do not happen without reason. People change, circumstances change, change is what makes our world thrive. We must only accept it and make the most of it, it is usually for our benefit."

Danny hesitated to answer. Godfrey's words made sense... but with all of his being he wished to have things go back to normal than change permanently. He was happy before, his friends supported him, his secret was safe, he was a hero.

Now, he felt weak. As if he had no purpose.

"But how can I give someone a second chance if I can't even succeed at doing my job as a hero?" Danny finally mumbled. He stared at the tile floor with a blank expression.

Danny knew more than anyone that bad things happened to good people just like everyone else, and not everyone was destined for a happy ending. People sometimes changed for worse rather than better, and sometimes things had to be sacrificed for the sake of greater good.

"As a hero, is it not within your moral code to give people second chances?" Godfrey said softly. He poured the ready tea into a mug and handed it to Danny who idly sipped it.

Danny looked up into Godfrey eyes full of sincerity and thought about the question. How many times had he, even as Danny Phantom, allowed people to walk all over him and not allowed himself the pleasure of revenge? He knew in his heart that it was only fair he do the same for Vlad, but his head screamed at him to do the opposite.

"I...I know I should forgive him." Danny admitted. "He's supported me for over a month of this without asking for much from me, I'm grateful. But...I don't know if I'm ready to have him in my life as something other than an enemy."

Godfrey chuckled and Danny blinked at him dumbly. What was so funny?

"The thing about humans is," Godfrey explained. "They're never truly 'evil' and not always 'good' either, they are just people. One's actions may lean a bit towards one side at times, but life is not quite so black and white."

Danny yawned and nodded, putting down his tea while his brain was trying to decipher what his ears were hearing. He was used to things being categorized as Good and Bad. Heroes and Villains. Right and Wrong. But he supposed there was some truth to what Godfrey was saying.

"I guess you're right." Danny concluded, leaning his elbows onto the counter top and dropping his head onto them. "How'd you learn all this stuff anyway...?"

"I am a ghost, child. I've been here for quite a while."

Danny's eyesight went blurry and he slid them shut. To the fading sounds of Godfrey washing dishes, he quickly fell asleep.

* * *

When Vlad Masters woke that morning he felt unusually refreshed. He felt in control for the first time, having gained information on his target and now holding the reigns behind one of the largest organizations in the Ghost Zone.

He felt ready and excited to begin the day and began thinking of his lesson plans for Daniel that afternoon while walking to the boy's room in one of his favorite and most expensive suits. He planned to spoil Daniel today after the ordeal he'd been through, if he felt up to it. He wasn't sure exactly what Daniel would like to do, but it was nice out today, perhaps he could convince him to get out of the mansion for a bit.

Vlad knocked on Daniel's bedroom door just loud enough to wake him up and called out to him through it.

"Daniel? Wake up, it's time to get ready and down to breakfast."

He waited a few seconds for Daniel's customary groan or shout of affirmation, but received none. Vlad sighed, thinking the boy was being stubborn, and opened the door.

Vlad frowned in confusion seeing Daniel's bed vacant and turned to the boy's bathroom. He knocked on that door with the same results.

Now panic began to rise and he quickly left the room and speed walked down the hallways to the dining room, all while calling Daniel's name. No answer came, and he forced himself not to freak out when he approached the dining room without having seen him at all.

He walked into the dining room and see his breakfast steaming on the table alongside Daniel's but neither has been touched. He senses Godfrey in the kitchen. At this point Vlad is panicking and he all but runs into the kitchen babbling like a madman upon seeing Godfrey standing there.

"Godfrey have you seen Daniel I can't-"

The butler moved, putting his finger to his lips. Vlad spotted the sleeping Daniel and his shoulders dropped in a silent sigh.

"Find him." He finished.

He walked over to Daniel and noticed something disturbing. Daniel's ectosignature was very faint and weak. It had been almost completely masked by Godfrey's signature.

"What is he doing here?" Vlad asked Godfrey.

"Just relaxing. He seemed stressed when I found him in the music room an hour ago." Godfrey replied, cleaning up the remnants of breakfast.

"He was in the music room? Why on Earth was he up so early...?"

Godfrey simply shrugged and Vlad sighed, audibly this time. He supposed he would be lenient and give the boy some extra time to sleep, he clearly needed it with his signature being so exhausted. Although the counter didn't look too comfortable...

"Keep his breakfast warm, Godfrey." Vlad instructed, bending down and gently picking up Daniel.

As he walked out Daniel seemed to recognize him in his sleep for he moved to wrap his arms around Vlad's neck and use the man's shoulder as a pillow. Vlad carried Daniel to his room and prayed that God would be merciful to him and make Daniel sleep soundly and would not cling to Vlad like a blood-sucking tick.

He phased into the child's bedroom and Danny shivered, waking up slightly. He looked around in a daze.

"What...?" Danny mumbled.

"Go to sleep." Vlad said simply, laying the boy down on the unmade bed and pulling the covers over him. Danny's eyes slowly slid closed as he mumbled something under his breath.

"Thanks -ad"

Vlad couldn't catch the last bit since Danny's speech had been slurred. Had he said Vlad? Or...

He shook his head. Of course Daniel had said Vlad. He couldn't have honestly just called him 'dad'!

But perhaps he had. Maybe he had thought Vlad was Jack for a moment. He _had_ been quite out of it. It was completely possible he could have made a slight slip-up in that regard.

Vlad forced himself to distance from the younger as quickly as possible, deciding not to think on the possibility of Daniel saying something so significant while half asleep.

Besides, what difference would it make? Daniel most likely wouldn't remember come later, anyway.

Mood now dampened, Vlad growled and changed into Plasmius. He fully intended to go down to the lab and perhaps gather some more information. He turned the corner and almost ran into Godfrey ascending up the hall.

"Ah, sir," Godfrey said, taking note of the man's posture. "I noticed you had not returned to finish your breakfast. Am I to save it alongside Mr. Fenton's?"

Vlad took a deep breath to calm himself. Godfrey's zen effect on everyone around him was almost unnerving.

"No, I'll head down there now." Vlad answered, changing back. "Call my associates, I'm coming in to work."

Godfrey's eyebrows lifted. "Of course, sir. But weren't you taking the day off to tend to our guest?"

Vlad's eyes darkened. He squeezed his hands into fists and stared resolutely into Godfrey's calm eyes.

"Daniel doesn't want me around him anymore than a rabid animal!" Vlad said. "I'm leaving as soon as possible."

As Vlad walked away, Godfrey put a hand to his chin and thought aloud,

"Is the young sir's nightmares the cause of this tension perhaps...?"

Vlad stopped. What? Was this why he was so exhausted? Daniel was having nightmares?

_And he hadn't said anything?!_

"What?" Vlad said softly, turning only his head to look back.

"Oh dear..." Godfrey lamented, realizing his mistake.

"Godfrey." Vlad said, turning fully. "Explain."

The older ghost sighed and began to tell Vlad what he knew. Daniel was exhausted and ill-tempered all because his sleep was being impeded on by night terrors that kept him from getting a rejuvenating sleep. It was only his ghost powers and sheer dumb luck he hadn't passed out yet. Daniel hadn't wanted help in this area and tried to hide it. Godfrey had put two and two together upon finding him in the music room and assumed the boy didn't want to lower his pride and ask for assistance.

"That _foolish_ child!" Vlad roared, his eyes snapping to the area he'd just come from. When he got ahold of that child he was sure he was going to rip him apart!

"Sir, you surely aren't considering confronting this issue right now, are you?" Godfrey fretted. "Oh dear me, no, there is a proper method for these things."

Vlad crossed his arms and wondered how on Earth Maddie dealt with not one, but two teenage children alongside her idiot spouse. Still seething, Vlad responded.

"And what, pray tell, do you suggest?"

"Firstly," Godfrey began. "You cannot confront and certainly not punish a child in anger. It does none of you any good. Secondly, I think in this particular circumstance you should give Mr. Fenton a chance to come clean before any confrontation. It might push him to trust you more."

Vlad remained silent for a few moments, taking in the feeling of his ward actually testing him in such a way. He wanted to interrupt the boy's much-needed sleep and shake him into repentance. But he knew that Godfrey was right, he had to earn Daniel's trust while still being a consistent, authoritative figure. Vlad sighed.

"You really believe he can trust me?" He asked his employee.

Godfrey chuckled, his eyes sparkling like the sun glinting off a body of water.

"He already does, even if only slightly ." The butler replied.

Vlad nodded and turned away. He had much to think about. But right now, he had something to do in the lab.

* * *

Danny woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in weeks. His head wasn't pounding, his eyes weren't bloodshot or watery, and he didn't feel like snapping the bed in half in frustration.

Although, how he even arrived at his bed was lost on him. Though he supposed it didn't really matter in the end. He'd gotten a good rest for once in his life! Danny wasn't about to start asking questions.

As Danny followed the ache in his stomach to the dining room, he was met with an atmosphere he didn't quite understand.

Vlad was in his usual spot at the head of the table, but he held the morning paper in his hands in a tight grip and his eyes didn't seem to be actually reading it. His empty plate was pushed to the side, very un-fruitloop like, and his body was tensed like a coiled spring. He lifted his royal blue eyes to the teen's for one fleeting moment and Danny finally understood.

Vlad was pissed.

"Sit." Vlad commanded, keeping his eyes away from Danny.

Danny didn't dare disobey and walked as calmly as possible to his seat at Vlad's right. He now wished he wasn't seated so close to the man. Whatever had set him off must've really gotten under Vlad's skin.

"Eat." Vlad seemed to be limited to single word communication this morning. Danny silently devoured his breakfast, filling his stomach but not enjoying any of it.

The tension in the air was thick as smoke and Danny was starting to believe this wasn't a regular 'something at work annoyed me' or 'an invention isn't working as it should' sort of vibe coming from Vlad.

As soon as Danny finished the last bite of food Vlad snapped his fingers loudly, making Danny jump. Godfrey entered, and began clearing away the table.

"Are you...mad at me?" Danny finally asked. Vlad set the newspaper down and stared at Danny squarely.

"Go to your room." Vlad ordered. Danny's eyebrows creased in confusion.

"But-"

"I _said-!"_

Godfrey interrupted him with a soft clearing of his throat and once Vlad looked at him he mouthed the word 'gentle'. Vlad took a deep breath and returned his gaze to Danny's confused ones. Godfrey exited the room and Danny felt like his only hope of survival had just abandoned him.

"I will only say this once." Vlad said. "You are to go to your room, and wait for me there. When I arrive, I'm going to ask you to tell me what it is you've been hiding from me. What happens after that depends on your answer."

Danny's mouth slid open in confusion and-though he'd loathe to admit it- a bit of fear. Vlad was the absolute worst person in the world to be on the bad side of.

"Wait, I _did_ do something?" Danny said, his voice low and timid but growing more frustrated with every word he spoke. "What did I do? I haven't been doing anything besides what you tell me to-!"

Vlad's eyes flashed red. Danny's mouth snapped shut. He was tempted to counter with toxic green, but thought better of it. Besides, he probably just sealed his fate mouthing off like he had.

"Fine, I'm going." He said, standing and leaving the room.

Danny went ghost once he was a few feet away from the dining room and flew intangibly up to his bedroom. He dropped down onto his messy bed with a frustrated grunt. He ran a gloved hand through his hair and tried to figure out why Vlad was so ticked off.

Had it been because Danny hadn't gotten a good grade on that quiz Vlad had given him on the Renaissance period? No, the man had praised him for his good work, that couldn't be it. Did his music teacher tell Vlad he wasn't progressing fast enough? It was possible, but not likely. Mrs. Cienfuegos wasn't that much of a hands-on tutor. So then, what...?

Maybe Vlad was angry that Danny had woken up late? Wait, what if Vlad had come to wake him up, found him gone, and assumed the worst? Maybe he had gotten upset that Danny had been up early and disappeared? That also would answer the question of how Danny got back into bed earlier.

So, Danny just had to apologize and everything would be fine, right? Vlad couldn't honestly be that angry that Danny had been up before sunrise. Definitely not angry enough to... Danny shuddered. Nope, he didn't even want to think about that possibility.

Vlad entered the room after a few minutes and Danny watched his every move for his cross-legged position on the bed. Vlad didn't acknowledge him until he moved Danny's desk chair to the bed and sat in front of him. Danny hadn't been nervous before, but he could feel his breakfast churning in his stomach looking into Vlad's steely blue eyes.

"I am giving you a chance to confess before judgment is passed." Vlad said formally. "But I'll let you know my patience is wearing thin, so I suggest you speak quickly."

Danny found his earlier feeling of anger growing while listening to Vlad's tone and huffed. He didn't even understand what was going on here!

"Look," Danny snapped. "I don't get why you're so ticked off, but if it's because I wasn't in bed this morning; how was I supposed to know you'd get mad about that? Why can't you just tell me what you're so upset about, instead of making me play these stupid guessing games?"

Danny finished his little rant and felt a tad bit better. He looked back up from Vlad, wondering when he'd lost eye contact, and suddenly he didn't feel so well.

His eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth. He was so dead. Worse than just dead, he was obsolete, done for, _terminated_.

"I had sincerely hoped to do this the easy way." Vlad said. His hand rose into the air and ectoplasm glowed around his fingers. Danny flinched back, thinking he was going to be attacked and preparing to run, when Vlad pulled his fingers back longways and the ectoplasm shifted into a small solid object. The object dropped into his open palm and Danny's stomach flipped at the sight of it. Vlad held a thin, smooth, glowing paddle.

Before Danny could start protesting Vlad spoke again.

"When you agreed to live with me you became more than just a guest, Daniel. You are, whether you like it or not, my responsibility. This includes matters of your health." Vlad saw that Danny still seemed lost, staring at the floor, so he continued. "Occasional nightmares, though uncomfortable, are not a serious thing. Everyone experiences them eventually, and they are inevitable. Especially with people like us with plenty of subject matter with which a nightmare could be formed. _However_."

Danny looked up, nervousness clouding his ice blue eyes. He knew what Vlad was getting at, now.

"Night terrors, ones that occur every night and cause one to lose sleep, are _dangerous._ Many people have to take medication or go to other extreme methods to keep themselves from hurting both their own selves or someone else." Vlad's body tensed with emotion. "Right now we are up against a ghost that has gotten the best of you more than once. You must be in your top form at _all times_ if you want to be with me when I go take this thing down."

Danny couldn't bring himself to look up from the floor. He didn't understand why Vlad's lecture was getting to him like this, but all he wanted right now was for the ground to swallow him up and rescue him from the situation.

"I was going to be somewhat lenient with you, but since you decided to rant at me and did not confess when given the chance, I will be stern with you. Not more than you deserve, but I can't go easy on you." Vlad said. Danny saw him shift a bit and looked up. Vlad patted his knee. "Come here."

Danny bit his lip and slowly uncrossed his legs and slid off of the bed. He hesitated, staring at the paddle in Vlad's hands. That looked...unpleasant.

"I really don't- don't think that's necessary." Danny said. "It was just a mistake, I promise I won't-"

"Daniel." Vlad interrupted. "When a matter involves your health, the punishment will be a harsh one every time. Your health is important. Now, let's get this over with."

Vlad reached forward and had to guide Danny over his knees. thankfully the boy was small for his age otherwise he wouldn't have fit in his lap. Finally Vlad began to go through with his reason for coming to the child's room.

The billionaire was a firm believer in leaving all discipline to be taken care of in the boy's room. Aside from the first moment Vlad had been physical with Daniel, of course. Though, the teen _had_ been possessed, there wasn't much negotiation to be had then.

Danny remained mostly stoic through the first six Vlad counted, that being the punishment for snapping at Vlad earlier. Then another six for lying when Vlad confronted him, and this time Danny hissed and grunted when the paddle landed on his now stinging posterior. Vlad braced himself for the ten he had to deliver for the initial crime. Upon the third swat Danny was crying silently. The fifth landed and he was sobbing with his hands clamped over his mouth in embarrassment at the sound. On the seventh he went limp and just cried out his pain at the last three strokes.

Vlad allowed the implement to dissipate and let his hand rest on the boy's back. Danny didn't seem to want to move yet and Vlad didn't blame him. But he wasn't quite finished yet. He helped Danny up to stand in front of him, Vlad keeping a firm grip on Danny's forearm with one hand, and tilted Danny's chin up till watering, icy blue eyes met his.

"'m sorry." Danny stuttered through hiccup-interrupted breaths. Vlad sighed silently.

"No more hiding things from me." He said.

Danny nodded, his shoulders heaving from trying not to cry too loudly. Vlad released him with one final pat on the arm and stood.

"Then all is forgiven. I'll be back soon. Try to calm down." Vlad didn't wait for Danny's reply, figuring the boy was too upset to give one even if he wanted to. He left the room, heading down to the lab.

Meanwhile Danny stood in the same position in front of the desk chair trying to stop the flow of hot tears that cascaded down his flushed cheeks. The sting was already fading, and in an hour's time he probably wouldn't even feel it. That was what made Danny so emotional. Vlad had gone easy on him. He could've beat the living daylights out of him and Danny probably would have let him, but for some reason Vlad had done...that instead. Though Danny didn't like it at all, it was better than an ectoblast to the chest, or a punch in the gut. Besides, everything was over now, right? Vlad had said he was forgiven. But maybe Vlad wanted to punish him for something else now...

When Vlad reentered the room he found Daniel in the same spot he'd left him, only now his arms were crossed and he was staring at the wall beside him. He was probably reluctant to sit anywhere at the moment.

"Here, this is for you." Vlad said, approaching the teen. He opened his hand, holding it up to reveal a small, black and red box. Danny cautiously picked it up and examined it.

"Uh, thanks?" Danny said.

"There's a button on the side, Daniel." Vlad explained, rolling his eyes.

Danny found the button and hesitated. "It's not going to blow me up, right?"

Vlad simply shook his head. Danny shrugged carelessly and pressed the tiny button. The box pulsed red for a few seconds and a blue wisp waded out of Danny's mouth. He panicked for a moment before realizing the 'ghost' was coming from the tiny box. He relaxed. But now he was somewhat confused.

"How do you feel?" Vlad asked suddenly. Danny thought for a moment.

"Relaxed? I don't know, what is this thing?" Danny replied.

"It's an ectoplasmic signature simulation device. It will keep the nightmares at bay if you turn it on at night and keep it within a 30 foot radius." The businessman explained.

"So it's sending out a ghost signature? Like a satellite?" Danny said. Vlad nodded. "This is...yours, isn't it."

"After wondering for hours how I could've missed you having these nightmares," Vlad began. "I realized that you must not have had any when I was around because you had somehow subconsciously felt safe. The logical explanation was that your ghost half had become accustomed to mine, as evidenced by the way you sometimes cling to me when you're asleep. This device was the obvious solution to our problem."

Danny turned off the device and put it on the bedside table. He didn't know what to say. No one had really cared so much about him before. Not in this way, at least. His friends and sister we're fascinated by his ghost half, but they didn't especially care about the inner workings of his other half, so Danny had simply put off everything else besides growing his powers. But if Phantom was now depending on Plasmius...

"Why is my ghost half 'attached' to you?" Danny asked. Vlad chuckled.

"The most likely reason is because ghost's are more instinct and nature driven. You are young in human years, and as a ghost you are little more than a toddler, at best. I'm the only other Half ghost there is, not to mention I'm twice your age and strength. It's natural to want to stay close."

Danny wasn't sure he liked that answer but he swallowed down anymore questions.

"Now," Vlad said. "I had intended for today to be a day off for both of us to get out of the manor, but I think we'll remain indoors for today, to relax a bit."

"Do I have to stay…in _here_?" Danny asked, somewhat timid.

It took a few moments for Vlad to understand the boy was referring to his room and smiled.

"No, I think you've been sufficiently punished today. You may join me in the bowling alley, if you'd like."

"Whoa, you bowl?" Danny said incredulously.

"Why else would I have a bowling alley?" Vlad questioned.

"I just can't picture you doing it, you know, actually having fun."

"It is a strategic game despite popular belief, Daniel. It is not that easy." Vlad defended.

"Uh-huh." Danny smirked. "We'll see what your 'strategy' says when I totally beat you!"

Vlad smirked back and gestured for Danny to lead them out. Danny strutted out of the room and Vlad chuckled behind him, wondering how the boy's mood could bounce back and forth so effortlessly.

Life with a teenager was definitely more complicated than he'd originally thought...

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Vlad is convinced Danny could never trust him without an ulterior motive, but will Danny prove him wrong?** _

* * *

 


	17. Something to Lose

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 17: Something to Lose**

When Vlad suggested Danny's friends and sister come over, Danny jumped at the idea. It had been so long since they'd hung out normally, as regular teenagers do.

Vlad had first suggested it when Danny had aced a test in math, something he never would have been able to do without Vlad's help. As a reward, Vlad had given him the option of having the rest of Team Phantom over for the afternoon after school. Of course, Danny was thrilled.

He felt a bit awkward when the three teens first arrived however. He'd been living with Vlad for almost two months, but this was the first time he'd really acted like the manor was his home. Godfrey opened the door and Danny ran out from the foyer to greet them.

"Hey guys!" Danny exclaimed, standing next to the butler as the group entered.

"Dude, I'll never get used to walking into this place, even Sam's mansion is smaller." Tucker said in awe. "Take away the green and gold and it's Buckingham Palace."

Sam snorted. "I'm just surprised you've paid enough attention in History class to know what Buckingham Palace is!"

"Hey!"

Tucker pouted and Jazz simply rolled her eyes at the younger teenagers' antics. She walked up to a chuckling Danny and caught him in a hug. Danny tensed in embarrassment.

"Nice to see you alive and kicking little brother." Jazz managed to say before she let him go.

"Y-you too." Danny replied.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. What was 'mom' doing? When did Jazz start looking so tired? Did his dad ever question why he was doing what he's doing? What was it like living in a house with spellbound versions of their parents?

But Danny bit his tongue. Now was not the time. He was sure his sister would find him later, if just to ask how he really was, then he could vent and also get information on Ivix's scheme. But for now...

"Let's go upstairs," Danny suggested. "It's more distant from the staff. Plus, my room is _Vlad-proof."_

Sam tilted her head in confusion and followed after the others as Danny led them up a grand marble staircase to the second floor. Danny hesitated before opening the door, insecurity taking hold.

He'd never been a rich kid, his parents had invested a lot of their earnings into their ghost hunting and research since day one. He was getting used to living in an over-the-top house with designer clothes, a full team of staff, and a bedroom other kids would _dream_ to have. But still, a small part of him felt...out of place and unwilling to call this stuff his. Vlad provided him with everything he needed and more, without even asking. He really didn't work much, he didn't even do chores (the cleaning staff took care of that) and getting a steady job outside of the mansion was totally out of the question in his current situation.

In the end Danny had to accept that this was his life now. He didn't know how long he was going to be here, living it up at Vlad's. He might as well take advantage of what he had while he had it.

Danny opened the door and let the others take in his space-themed room while he unbuttoned the first few buttons on his long-sleeved Oxford. Vlad was particular about Danny keeping neat and always made him button his shirts much to Danny's chagrin. Danny had once come down to breakfast in his pajamas and Vlad had nearly had an OCD panic attack. He had marched Danny right back upstairs and the teen ended up wearing a suit the rest of the day. The fruitloop had even made him wear a tie.

The teens made their way over to the bean bags and armchairs in front of the large television on the far wall while Danny shit the door behind them. Vlad had said he would most likely be in the lab all day, but Danny wasn't talking any chances. The man had a knack for showing up at the worst times.

"Man, this thing is awesome!" Tucker gushed, messing around with the televisions settings. "It's got a _touch screen?_ Jeez, when can Vlad adopt _me?!"_

Danny was laughing at his friend's amazement. _Was._ But the techno-geek's last statement had sent shockwaves of insecurity through Danny's thoughts.

Vlad was not his father, yet he spared no expense spoiling him. Vlad was not his father, yet he protected and helped him when he was in danger.

Vlad wasn't his father, not at all. But lately, he'd been acting as if he was.

_And Danny wasn't objecting to it._

Danny pursed his lips together tightly, remembering all the times Vlad had saved him from the brink of death. And all in a matter of months. What could have caused him to change?

Sam immediately recognized Danny's awkward posture and eagerly jumped to his defense.

"If this is how he treats his house guests, I'm sure his family would be swimming in money everyday." Sam said, emphasizing the term 'houseguest'. Tucker seemed to get the hint, because he stammered out,

"Yeah, right." He said. "I-I was just kidding, sorry dude."

Danny shook his head, a shy and weak smile on his face. He was tired of the awkwardness, the uncertainty, the 'What if's. He just wanted to save his parents, and go home. Normalcy was all he would ask for right now.

"I've been living here for over a month, away from my parents, and relying on the fruitloop. I think I know what our relationship looks like." Danny said good-naturedly. "But he hasn't done anything to break our truce, or to hurt me, so..."

Jazz stood and went over to Danny, putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"It's only natural that being together all the time for this long has caused you guys too get closer." She said. "In fact, I think it's probably the one good thing that's come out of this. If you both can walk away allies after this is all over, maybe it will be worth it."

Sam smiled at her friend. "She's right, there's always a bright side to everything."

"I thought you were supposed to be a creature of the night?" Danny teased before he sobered up at Sam's glare. "But seriously, thanks guys."

The goth girl nodded and stood up, something on Danny's nightstand catching her eye. It looked like a small, plain box, but Sam saw Danny tense when he followed her line of vision to the object and knew it was more than that.

"What is this?" She asked, picking it up.

Danny stood up as well as hurried over to her. Why did she have to notice the ectosignature projector of all things? He'd already told the girls about his nightmares, but admitting he couldn't sleep without the adult halfa's signature surrounding him would be completely embarrassing!

"I-It's just a decoration, nothing important at all, nope!" Danny said, holding out his hand to take the box back.

By this time Jazz and Tucker were also suspicious and joined them on the other side of the room. Sam handed the box to Tucker.

"Explain, techno-geek." She commanded.

Tucker glared at her tone but examined the device anyway while Danny anxiously watched. Tucker pressed the button on the side and Danny gasped as a blue wisp of air flew out of his mouth. The three teens stared at the half-ghost in confusion.

"Dude, this is one high-tech box for just activating your ghost sense..." Tucker said with a raised eyebrow.

"Can't we just ignore it?" Danny all but whined. "It's just a box, that's all."

Jazz put her hands on her hips and grabbed the piece of tech from Tucker. She backed away towards far wall and held up the object. Big sister mode had just been activated!

"Tell me what this does." She ordered. Danny just raised an eyebrow, amused. Jazz shrugged. "Alright then..."

She popped open the window lock and stuck out her right hand, turning her palm face down with the box in-hand, letting it dangle from her fingers.

"Jazz, no!" Danny cried. "That's so not fair!"

Sam and Tucker looked at each other in awe. "She is _good_." They said in unison.

Danny glanced between his precious projector and his sister's smug face. Finally, he sighed and realized he must admit defeat this time.

"Alright, alright, it's Vlad's ectosignature." He said honestly. Jazz drew her hand back halfway and Danny's shoulders slumped. "I don't have nightmares when I can sense him close by."

Jazz nodded moved away, closing the window. She handed the box back to Danny who sighed in relief.

"You guys are relentless." Danny muttered, putting the object back on his nightstand where it belonged.

"I don't get it." Tucker said. "How does having Plasmius' ectosignature around help you sleep? Shouldn't it be the opposite?"

Danny internally cringed. The last thing he wanted to do was explain why he needed Vlad's signature. When the man had explained it to him he'd been embarrassed enough. He couldn't even bring himself to say it out loud.

He was a superhero that needed an adult around to chase away the bad dreams. How humiliating was that?!

Luckily, Clockwork must have been on his side that moment because the loud, echoing doorbell could be heard ringing downstairs. Danny's eyebrows creased in confusion. Vlad hadn't said anything about expecting company today...

"You expecting someone?" Sam wondered, looking towards the door. Danny shook his head.

"Vlad's in his lab, he probably didn't hear the bell..." Danny thought out loud. "I'm going to go check who it is."

As he walked out of the room his friends shrugged and followed suit Jazz came up to his side and spoke softly.

"Vlad is famous worldwide, isn't it normal to get visitors, at least for business?" She said, thinking it over in her head.

"Maybe under normal circumstances, but Vlad has kept us almost completely isolated since we got here." Danny explained. "He would have told me if he'd been expecting someone."

Suddenly, Danny's ghost sense made a reappearance and he shivered at the force of it. Had Vlad changed into his ghost half? No, Danny would have senses if it was Plasmius. This signature wasn't familiar.

The teens reached the balcony connected to the staircase to the first floor and looked on as Godfrey went to the door and opened it, giving a welcoming bow to whoever he was greeting.

"I'm here to see Vlad." A feminine voice called out as a blue jumpsuit caught Danny's eye.

Thinking quickly, Danny grabbed Jazz's forearm and turned her invisible. If Maddie saw her here, it would cause major problems in their plan. Sam and Tucker realized who it was that had just entered and each put a hand on Jazz's back, causing themselves to turn invisible also. The only one who was not invisible was Danny, who was too panicked to concentrate on focusing his power to shield them all.

Jazz elbowed him, trying to get him to notice her was exposed, but he didn't so much as flinch. Danny's bright blue eyes stared unblinking at the one ghost that had haunted his dreams, literally.

 _"Danny!"_ Jazz hissed, finally getting his attention. Sadly, she also got someone else's attention as well.

Maddie and Godfrey both looked up at the only visible teen in confusion. Danny's eyes widened, and Maddie's narrowed.

"You!" She growled.

Danny was frozen on the spot. He couldn't afford to bolt and leave Jazz and his friends to be exposed as well. Though every instinct in his body was telling him to either run or attack, he kept still and stared into a pair of angry, lavender irises.

Before another word could be spoken, Vlad Master's voice was heard throughout the room.

"Maddie! Wonderful to see you!" The man said, entering the room from the door to Maddie's left. Danny deduced that the man had been in the lab judging by the direction he'd come from. If that was true, Danny could assume that the billionaire hadn't been expecting Maddie's visit, either.

"I demand to know why you are harboring a criminal in your own home!" She ordered, her stance dangerously tense. "You both ought to be brought to justice!"

Danny finally found his voice and shouted over the railing at his mother. "I'm not a criminal, I _help_ people!"

Danny used all his strength to create a duplicate invisibly and have it hold on to Jazz so the real Danny could walk a little closer. He could feel Jazz's hand brush his shoulder in comfort as he moved away.

"You are nothing but a boy with powers beyond his own control. You should never have become what you are in the first place." Maddie snapped, her tone patronizing and authoritative.

Danny flinched but otherwise remained strong. He kept reminding himself that this was not his mother, this was a monster, using her, and hurting her. Danny moved slowly down the stairs, not even realizing it until he had reached the last steps.

"I think we've had about enough of your games, Ivix." Vlad said. He looked to the butler standing behind her. "If you please."

Godfrey thrust his hand forward and a blue rope of ectoplasmic energy burst forth, wrapping tightly around Maddie and keeping her restrained in place. This only seemed to amuse the ghost possessing her, for it smiled an unnatural smile directed at Vlad. The man just smirked back at it, unfazed.

"You may be more powerful than me in combat, manipulative half ghost," Maddie said, turning to stare at Danny. "But I am no ordinary opponent. I've been both waiting for this moment, and preparing my champion with which to seal your fate."

Maddie turned and stared into Danny's wide, blue eyes and smiled. Danny mind clouded, his vision blurred, and for some reason, he desperately wanted to move. He wanted to fight, to hurt, to defeat. His eyes changed to a bright magenta that alarmed the other adults close enough to see. His muscles tensed and he looked away from his 'mother's eyes and stared at a confused Vlad.

"How will you defeat me," Maddie wondered, as Fenton changed into Phantom. "When you're too busy fighting _him?"_

Right as the last word was spoken, many things happened at once. Maddie broke free of her bonds and turned to attack Godfrey. Danny shot forward and tackled Vlad, who changed into Plasmius as he wrestled Danny on the ground. Seeing this, the three teenage spectators suddenly turned and realized they were visible. Jazz looked behind her and Danny's clone was smirking at her.

Jazz gasped and managed to dodge out of the way of an ectoblast that sailed over her head and smashed into and shattered a window on the other side of the room. Sam and Tucker pulled out their wrist rays and began to fend off the clone while Jazz recovered and brought out a lipstick blaster.

As the teenagers fought above Danny and Vlad hashed it out on the lower level, mainly keeping it hand to hand as each threw punches and tried to outwit eachother and win. Vlad blocked a harsh kick aimed at his side and used the pause to push Danny backwards. Any other time Danny might have been thrown off, but he'd learned a great deal since coming to Vlad's, and he wasn't so easily defeated as he might once have been.

Danny twisted and spun around with the momentum keeping his leg out and smashing it into Vlad's opposite side. The man was shoved a few feet away and rolled to a halt on the ground. He quickly pushed himself up and looked at Danny with an impressed raise of his eyebrows.

"Maybe I am teaching you something." He muttered. Danny came at him again, his fist raised in a clear attempt to nail him in the nose, but Vlad was finished playing games.

He ducked and turned intangible, leaving Danny to stumble and try to reorient himself. Vlad didn't allow him time to do this however, and quickly grabbed Danny's arm and twisted it behind his back. He kept it high enough to restrain him, but not enough to break any bones.

"Think, Daniel, fight it." Vlad said. "He's just controlling you. You can fight it!"

He looked over and saw that Godfrey was holding off Maddie's attacks, but that he was starting to falter. Vlad would have to hurry this along.

" _You're_ being controlled!" Danny shouted, struggling as hard as he could.

Danny growled in frustration and tried to kick Vlad in the kneecap. His arm was jerked tightly and he gasped, standing on his toes to relieve some of the pain. Vlad remembered that same tone as one Danny used when wanting to be defiant and test Vlad's patience. Vlad got an idea and leaned forward, bringing his face close to Danny's ear.

"If you aren't able to break free of Ivix's curse," Vlad let a few seconds pass, the boy's face beginning to pale. "I'll spank you."

Danny eyes widened for a short moment before going back to a calm level. He craned his neck to look at Vlad and frowned.

"You're bluffing." He stated. Vlad just smirked down at him challengingly.

Danny grit his teeth and scowled. The halfa went intangible and pried himself away from Vlad, turning around to face him a few feet away

"You. Can't." The controlled Danny said. Vlad shrugged.

"Why not?" Vlad said carelessly. "I shouldn't have to tell you that attacking me is against the rules, and you know what I do to naughty half ghosts that break my rules."

Danny gave a frustrated battle cry and lunged at Vlad. The two were a flurry of attacks and deflects. Danny was on heavy offense, while Vlad tried to time his movements carefully in order to not hurt the boy blindly attacking him. The man longed to point out obvious mistakes in the child's attack, but instead focused on getting Danny's mind where it should be.

"I mean it Daniel, stop fighting me!" Vlad said. Danny's attacks seemed weaker, but otherwise he kept going. The kid was going to burn himself out! "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Yeah? Well _I_ wanna hurt _you!"_

Danny raised his arm to strike, his glowing purple eyes furious. Vlad had finally had enough and grabbed the boy's wrist, pulling him forward and grabbing him into a hug-like, restraining hold. Danny fought him and tried to pull away, but Vlad was stronger, and anytime Danny went intangible, Vlad followed suit, keeping his hold firm.

"Enough, quiet down and listen to me." Vlad said. "Fight the hold that ghost has over you. I'm serious Daniel, I will punish you if you don't."

Danny shifted uncomfortably and tried to pull his wrist out of Vlad's grip. He muttered quietly as he struggled. "Don't. Can't."

"I can and I will." Vlad replied, watching Godfrey get flung to the ground. Vlad winced as Maddie turned to look at him.

"Fight him, do it now Daniel!" Vlad ordered. "Or you're about to be in a world of trouble!"

Danny whimpered and finally snapped. He looked up at Vlad with two, bright green eyes and pleaded. "No! That's not fair!"

Vlad loosened his grip on Danny but kept his eyes glued to the now seething Maddie. Danny's clone had disappeared once he was back to normal and the three teenagers overlooking the scene were now panting and recovering from the fight, while watching the two half ghosts below.

"You _useless_ child!" Maddie yelled in a voice that was not the ghost hunter's. "You'll pay for this! No one betrays me!"

Suddenly Danny's body glowed a bright purple. Danny's eyes widened dramatically as he began to feel burning hot. He pulled away from Vlad and put his hands to his chest in a blind effort to cool down his icy core. Vlad watched helplessly as Danny dropped to his knees in distress, sweat building up on his forehead and streaming down his face.

Vlad glared at the person responsible for his ward's pain. In order to end Danny's suffering, he would have to fight the love of his life. Figures.

Vlad charged his hands full of deadly electrical energy and plunged into battle. Maddie's attacks were uncoordinated and varied, but the power given to her by Ivix made it exceedingly difficult for Vlad to attack while preserving the body that was his Maddie's.

"You can't hurt me," Deus Ivix mocked. "I'm your precious Maddie. Oh how perfect this turned out to be!"

Vlad growled and tried to restrain his opponent but Maddie was quick and nimble, much more so than Vlad. He was forced to shoot blindly and try to deliver a non-fatal blow while the ghost-possessed woman dodged him expertly.

Meanwhile both Godfrey and team Phantom had recovered and raced to Danny. Sam brushed his windswept hair off of his sweaty forehead and frowned. She knew Danny Phantom didn't do well in the heat, but this wasn't exactly the same thing, was it? How on Earth could she help her friend?

Godfrey knelt in front of Danny gently grasped his wrists in one hand. Danny looked at him curiously as the butler pulled them away from his chest and raised his free hand. It began to glow a soft blue, and he moved it to Danny's torso, right over his core.

Danny sighed as his core felt as if it was coated in a healing, cooled blanket. The rest of his body was still painfully hot, but he wasn't in danger of any permanent damage now.

Godfrey let his spell settle a few seconds longer and pulled away, though the effect remained. He stood and straightened his uniform.

"Stay with him." He instructed the others, before moving around Danny to assist his employer.

Vlad was just beginning to lose his patience when his butler flew to his side, ecto-rope in hand. Vlad gave him a grateful glance, and watched as the panting Maddie grew apprehensive.

"Enough of this." Vlad proclaimed. "You're done for."

Suddenly, Maddie smiled. An insane, crazed sort of smile that unsettled the two ghosts in front of her. Her eyes were squinted in mock, and her chin tilted upwards to look down at them.

"I've lost, this time." It said, swirling tendrils of purple of black twisting around it. "But I'm not finished with you freaks just yet. Till we meet again, half ghost."

The smoky tendrils swallowed up the slouching figure just as Vlad shot an ectoblast. The blast burst through the smoke but struck nothing before slamming into the far wall. The smoke cleared and nothing remained.

Vlad growled in frustration and dropped his flight to stand on solid ground. Godfrey did the same.

Vlad suddenly remembered Daniel and walked over to where he sat, surrounded by his friends and sister. The purple glow from before had gone, and he seemed to be catching his breath, but otherwise alright.

Danny looked up at him and took the hand that Vlad offered to him once the man got close enough. Danny now shivered as the sweat dried on his body.

"Did you...?" Danny asked, looking to where he'd last seen his mother's body.

"They got away." Vlad explained. "Are you alright?"

Danny nodded, but his head instantly pounded at the action. "My arm is sore, but I can't really blame you for that." He confessed.

"Dude, you're telling me! your clone packs one heck of a punch!" Tucker complained, rubbing his arm close to the wrist ray he wore.

"Yeah, I thought we were toast for sure!" Jazz chimed in.

Danny chuckled. "Sorry about that, I wasn't in control of it, or myself for that matter."

Danny blushed and took a fidgety step back from them. It wasn't the best idea for as soon as he did so he stumbled. A massive wave of vertigo struck him and Vlad was forced to jerk forward and catch Danny before he could hit the ground.

"Daniel? Can you hear me?" Vlad called. "What's wrong?"

Danny blinked in confusion and shook his head, trying to clear it. His eyebrows creased in concern. "...Can't see you."

Vlad's muscles tensed in worry. Sam reached out and ran her fingers through her hair. Danny flinched, and Vlad was sure he hadn't seen her hand approach. Was this temporary? Was he now blind?

Danny's eyes fluttered closed and he went limp, fainting in Vlad's hold.

"Godfrey," Vlad said, standing and carrying Danny in his arms. "Bring ice to the infirmary. You three,"

Vlad turned his gaze to the younger ones in the room.

"You all need to go home, especially Jasmine, as your 'mother' will be suspicious before long." Vlad concluded, turning to walk away.

"No way!" Tucker said, jogging to catch up to Vlad. Sam and Jazz followed suit. "We can't leave Danny when he's like this!"

Vlad headed to the infirmary without pause.

"Then keep up." He tossed over his shoulder. The others rushed to comply, and the small party made their way to the desired area.

Once Danny was safely in bed with ice packs wrapped in towels settled on his chest and forehead, the teenagers and adults all breathed a sigh of relief. Vlad turned human and settled into a chair beside the white-washed bed and kept his eyes on his charge.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd had so much stress in such a short amount of time, and all because of one person.

Two months ago, he would have beaten the hypnotized Danny to a pulp without giving his actions a second thought, but now...

Sam looked at the expression on the billionaire's face in thought. Danny had not told them much about living with Vlad these past weeks, but by the look on the man's face she could tell something had changed. There was genuine worry evident in the creases of Vlad's knitted brows and concern showing in the way his lips pursed together tightly.

Jazz too saw the change. Her expression softened and she felt a bit of hope rise in her heart. It was a feeling she hadn't had in awhile. It had been hard, living with her parents as they were, but seeing her brother being taken care of, protected, like a child should, it made her smile in happiness.

Tucker noticed Danny's change more obviously than Vlad's. The teen he had known for years had a major hero complex, and that was something amazingly hard to crack. For a man like Vlad to get Danny to trust him enough to live with him was a feat that Tucker respected.

As the three teenagers looked on in wonder, they all agreed that if nothing else, this was something good that came out of their ordeal.

They all sat in silence in the infirmary, the only interruptions being Godfrey coming and going with the occasional refreshments and fresh ice. An hour passed, and Sam and Tucker were forced to leave, only going quietly when Jazz promised to text then when Danny was awake. Vlad wanted to get rid of her as well, but imagined that Danny wouldn't take it well to hear he'd kicked out his sister at this time.

"You should stay here." Vlad said suddenly. Jazz didn't seem to mind though. She straightened in her chair and nodded.

"They'll be suspicious, but I can convince them it's a college opportunity, let them think I left town." She said in reply.

Vlad crossed his arms and watched Danny's chest rise and fall. "The best course of action would be for you to leave to college anyway, as you'd be out of the line of fire if this goes poorly, but..."

Jazz shot him a look and Vlad nodded. "I didn't think so. Staying here it is then."

Danny twitched agitatedly and whimpered, his eyes squeezing tightly. Without a thought, Vlad changed to Plasmius. The nightmares were never ending, it seemed. The device Vlad had given the boy was not in the room, therefore the real thing would have to do.

The reaction was immediate. Danny relaxed visibly, and his muscles went limp once again. Vlad brushed back the child's bangs, relieved to feel his temperature had returned to normal. Jazz watched with a calculating stare.

"You love him?" She asked bluntly.

Vlad retracted his hand. He sat tall in his seat and looked at her squarely. He'd made the decision to have Daniel by his side since their meeting all those months ago, but now he did not wish to change the boy into his desired pawn.

"I promised Daniel I would give up my revenge plots against your father." Vlad told her. "In return, I get a second chance. I will not let this opportunity slip through my fingers."

"I can give him- and you, as well, a much better environment to live in than Jack Fenton can." Vlad continued. "I understand that for Daniel swallowing his pride enough to accept the help will be much more difficult for him than for you, but I know what I want. I want Daniel safe, and by my side, however he sees fit. If that's not love, I'll never know true love."

Jazz took precious moments to ponder over Vlad's words. For once, she could hear and understand the emotions Vlad was portraying in his words, with no sense of mischief or double meanings.

"You two are more alike than you realize." She said finally. "I'm already past the point of independence, but Danny still needs a father. Whether Jack Fenton is still that man or not, I will support him. You do right by him, I'll support you both."

Vlad's eyes remained on Danny. He gave a nod to Jazz and the two fell into silence once again.

The man gave great thought to the girl's words. If he was honest with himself, he would admit he was a bit nervous about the idea of Daniel eventually coming to live with him permanently. Not as an ally, but as a son.

But Vlad was at a disadvantage. He and Daniel had history, and none of it was fun to think about. Daniel couldn't trust him, but Vlad was convinced he could change that. Perhaps Jasmine living with them as well could help in that area.

As Vlad contemplated his next move, Danny slowly came to. He only moved his eyes, acutely aware that he was not alone in the room. When he saw Vlad sitting next to him, in ghost form, he surprised himself by remaining calm. A few weeks ago, he would've shot into the air, demanded to know where he was, and probably attacked the man.

He opened his eyes fully and brought a hand to his face with a sigh, rubbing the last remnants of sleep away. Danny heard a sudden intake of breath and watched as two pairs of eyes stared him down.

"I'm alive." Said Danny at their expectant looks. "I think."

Jazz let out a nervous laugh. "You scared us half to death."

Danny sat up, noticing how Vlad jerked for a moment, as if wanting to stop him but refraining from actually doing so.

"What happened?" Danny asked, running a hand through his hair. "Last thing I remember was fighting Vlad, and then...lots of pain."

"Sounds about right." Vlad said, changing into his human form. Danny noticed the action and became visibly uncomfortable knowing Vlad must have been in ghost form because of him.

Danny finally got a hold of reality and looked at his sister. Her presence at his side without Sam and Tucker was telling. Danny didn't want her to leave and go through the turmoil that was his home, but would Vlad allow it?

Danny barely had to think. As far as he could tell, he had Vlad wrapped around his half ghost fingers. Thanks to their deal, Danny was obligated to discontinue ignoring the man and Vlad was pretty needy when it came to attention. If Danny threatened to ignore him, Vlad would probably give him whatever he wanted.

"Jazz can't go home." Danny stated, looking directly into Vlad's darker blue eyes. "It can't be safe at this point.

Danny watched as Vlad raised an eyebrow at him and frowned. Seeing the potential argument, Jazz answered her brother.

"I'm not going back, Danny." Jazz said. "But now you two need to focus on other things. Waiting around here in hiding isn't going to work anymore with it knowing Danny's here."

Danny nodded, his muscles tense. The thought of going up against an enemy that had taken over his mind so easily wasn't a pleasant thought. He barely had the time to think of resisting when Ivix had attack his mind. If they met again, would the result be the same?

"Defeating this ghost needs to be our top priority right now." Danny agreed. "Ivix has to be stopped."

Vlad's eyes flashed red for a moment and he looked at Danny with a serious stare. Danny looked back in confusion.

"And what happens afterwards?" He snapped. "I keep telling you Daniel- _think_. Your family has serious issues, some of which could get you injured if not killed."

"Your mother sold her freedom to capture Phantom." Vlad continued. "You cannot ignore that this ghost is only here because Maddie allowed it to control her, _willingly_. Jack clearly isn't bright enough to know the difference between a ghost and his wife, how could he-"

"I get it!" Danny interrupted. He looked down at his hands and sighed. "Believe me, all I want is to forget everything that has put me in this situation. I want to believe that I'm on vacation or something, and Mom, Dad, and Jazz are all waiting for me at home, like a normal day."

Danny took and shaky breath and Jazz rested her hand gently on his arm. He smiled for a moment in gratitude before continuing.

"I just want my mom to be safe. Whether she accepts me or not, I'm still her son, I owe her that much."

When Danny looked back at Vlad he couldn't read the man's expression. He looked as if he was contemplating something while focusing on Danny's words. Vlad finally straightened and stood up, keeping his eyes on Danny.

"Whether you choose to go back to your father or not, you cannot deny that your time with me has made you different. I just hope you make the right decision when the time comes." Vlad turned and walked away, turning only to say over his shoulder, "I'm going to get the chef started on an early dinner. Both of you rest until then."

When Vlad exited the room silence reigned for all of a second before Jazz couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.

"What is up with you two?" She questioned. "One minute, you're best friends, the next you're back to being enemies!"

Danny shrugged, unsure of how to answer. He wanted Vlad to not get mad needlessly, but both halfas were incredibly hot headed and Vlad was sometimes more stubborn than a toddler at bath time. Not that Danny could judge, he was almost exactly the same.

"I'm just trying to make this work until I can save everyone." Danny muttered, staring at the door Vlad had walked out of.

"That's just it Danny," Jazz said, her tone a serious one. "What if you can't?"

Danny stayed quiet in thought. He was a hero, it was all he knew. His life revolved around ghosts and enemies on a daily basis. To think of changing all that, to imagine having someone to run to that understood you in the area of your life you need support in the most... could he do it?

Could he trust Vlad?

Danny put a hand to his chest, remembering the calming feeling of being ghost and having Vlad's ectosignature near him. It meant there was someone else who could be the protector, the vigilant one, the fighter. For so long, Danny had been under the stress of constant attack and abuse at the hands of his ghostly enemies, and now, he couldn't imagine being interrupted in the middle of the night by a ghost attack in Vlad's manor.

Maybe he _could_ get used to living here. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

But was it the right thing to do?

Danny pursed his lips together. One way or another, something had to change between himself and Vlad. Vlad had put trust in him, just by letting him stay. It was time to return the favor.

It seems he had some decisions to make.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Jazz watches Vlad and Danny interact, and tries to help.** _

* * *

 


	18. Break the Ice, And Play Nice

**_The Life We Fight For_ **

**Chapter 18: Break The Ice, and Play Nice**

Three days Jazz had been hidden away in Vlad's manor. Three days of quiet, brooding tension.

Most of the brooding came from Vlad Masters, who felt as if the wind had been taken out of his sails. Danny had all but ignored the man since Jazz arrived, content to show her around and hang out while Vlad sulked in the lab. The only times he saw Danny was during meals and lessons, whereas before he'd spent a good majority of the day entertaining the boy in the library, or in the lab, tinkering away.

The absence of his little badger by his side made him almost regret his decision to house the boy's sister in the first place.

At breakfast, Jazz insisted she watch Danny and Vlad go through lessons, which began an argument between the teen and bachelor.

"Having someone around during a time of learning is distracting to the pupil!" Vlad snapped, shoving a piece of bacon into his mouth. He still had goals to reach concerning Daniel, and this psychologist wannabe was not going to ruin his chances!

"How am I supposed to know if Danny's getting a good education? For all I know you could be brainwashing him!" Jazz retorted, frowning at the man from her seat at Danny's right.

Danny, being quite literally stuck in the middle, shrunk back uncomfortably. He appreciated his sister's concern, but lately Vlad seemed wound up because of her meddling presence. Danny just hoped his patience didn't run out anytime soon.

"How dare you accuse me of brainwashing?" Vlad fired back. "If I wanted Daniel to act a certain way, there are plenty of ways to do so other than messing with his brain."

 _"Great_ comeback, V-Man..." Danny muttered.

Jazz meanwhile had crossed her arms and was staring at Vlad in a smug manner.

She'd noticed since her first day in the manor that Vlad and Danny were together more often than not. However, somehow the two guys had no real understanding of each other and fought almost constantly. As the aspiring psychologist that she was, Jazz couldn't let this continue!

"Admit it, you're jealous!" Said Jazz. Vlad tensed, and so did Danny.

"Jazz, can you quit it already?" Danny grumbled, leaning so far back in his chair he was almost falling out of it.

Vlad took a moment to calm down. What he wanted to say was that yes, Jasmine was being an utter distraction and his plans for gaining Daniel's trust were being impeded on by her presence. Sadly, the man couldn't exactly stop her, either. Daniel clearly enjoyed his sister's company over his own- and Vlad couldn't exactly fault him for it- however it didn't make his situation any less annoying. Having to see them walk in for meals together laughing about a film they'd just seen or arguing over who won a video game made Vlad's blood boil.

But the half ghost had to keep up his appearances. Daniel would definitely feel uncomfortable knowing Vlad wanted to spend time with him in a father and son sort of way. Regardless of how comfortable Daniel had become in recent days, he still thought of Vlad as a 'fruitloop'.

Vlad stood, straightening his tie.

"Daniel can do whatever he wishes with his free time." Vlad said finally, looking only at Jazz. "However I will ask that you leave any prior commitments as they are, this includes training and schooling, along with miss Cienfuegos' lessons."

Jazz pouted but shrugged casually. "I'll get you to admit it eventually Cheese Head, I'll be here all week folks. Literally!"

Vlad rolled his eyes and departed from the room hurriedly to get the library prepared for them. After he'd left Jazz casually turned to Danny and raised an eyebrow. Danny simply scowled at her.

"So who's miss Cien-whatever?" She asked, pulling her long red hair up into a ponytail and letting it fall around her shoulders repeatedly.

"Just a tutor... Vlad's idea." Danny said, rising from the table.

"Hey! You're not ditching me too, are you?" Jazz complained, watching Danny push his chair in.

"Vlad doesn't appreciate 'tardiness', in simpler words, I gotta go before I get my head blasted off. I'll see you later." Danny said, before making his way out of the room.

He sighed once he was out in the hall, guilty that he hadn't told his sister the whole truth. Vlad indeed did _not_ like when Danny was late, but he had no intention of going to the library at that moment. Not when things were so...tense.

There was no other word to describe it. The air was thick as wool when Vlad had stood from the dining table, and Danny hated it. He lived here now, like it not, and he didn't want anymore awkwardness with Vlad Masters. The guy had a temper that rivaled Danny's, no doubt he had been affected by Jazz's comment. Though had Danny been in his shoes he probably would have snapped at his sister instead of walking away...

When Danny found the boring brown wood door he was looking for he phased his head through, and made sure no one was inside before phasing completely through the door. Up to the slightly raised stage he went to the instrument he'd come to appreciate as an outlet for his emotions.

As he sunk down into the seat and relaxed, he played chords to some made up melody that reflected how he felt and began to think about what had transpired these past few months.

'How could have all gone downhill so quickly?' Danny thought, his shoulders tense and raised.

He abruptly stopped with a dramatic drop of his hands' weight onto the keys and looked away. Danny stood from the bench to adjust it a bit while grumbling to himself.

"I thought great pieces were _supposed_ to be made up when the composer's emotional. Unfair."

Danny lifted his head and saw the bookshelves in which Vlad kept hundreds of scores and arrangements and frowned. He'd been shot down every time he mentioned it, apparently the music Vlad could play was crazy difficult. Danny was very much a beginner, but...

Against his better judgement, Danny walked to the far wall and inspected the bookshelves, pleased to find they were organised both alphabetically and by composer. However, each score he looked at he could barely read: there were so many notes the pages were more black than white!

Then there were pieces that he could read, but the rhythms were so tricky and the techniques so intricate he felt like he was dissecting a math problem. Others had constantly changes movements, themes and feelings, his brain going up and down like a rollercoaster simply _looking_ at it. How the heck did Vlad play these?! And how had Danny never witnessed it?!

Danny had nearly given up finding something doable until he reached an older, more worn and weathered group of sheet music that caught his eye. Slipping it off the shelf he turned it over and read the title: _Liebeslied_.

"Huh?" Danny said, not even daring to try to pronounce the word. He didn't even know what language the strange title was written in.

But the notes looked simpler than anything he'd previously picked up, which now lay in separated piles on the floor. They ranged from 'gotta try this' to 'my fingers will break trying this'...most pieces sat in the latter pile.

Danny sighed and brought the music to the piano, his mind on almost anything but the notes. Nevertheless, he'd try anyway. Even if he failed and totally bombed the song, no one was there to care.

He began to plunk the melody notes with his right hand, while his left turned pages. His mind went back to the moments in his parent's lab. Frown settling in, he remembered the cold, cutting tone his mother had used to speak, the harsh, dark eyes she'd appeared to have with her goggles on, and his oblivious father who couldn't think enough on his left to save him.

He played with more confidence, though it felt more like annoyance bordering on anger. His life had gone from pleasant and normal ( _His_ version of normal at least.) to a reality one would read in a fictional novel. Danny wished more than anything else to go back to how things were, how they were supposed to be. Right now, he should be at school, Casper High specifically, trying desperately to pay attention to another one of Mr. Lancer's rants about a book of some sort.

But instead here he was, living a pointless existence wasting away in the Masters' mansion. Danny's hand came down harder on the next phrase of notes and his teeth ground together. If only he'd revealed his secret sooner, maybe this could have been avoided, or perhaps he should have taken Vlad's offer when they'd first met, then he'd be living the high life as the son of a billionaire! But no, he just had to listen to his hero complex.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid!"_ Danny muttered under his breath, before beginning the piece again in a harshly deliberate tone and rhythm.

His whole body was tense, his mind was distracted, his heart was racing, and his fingers were fumbling over the keys. Danny wouldn't ever have called himself a musician, so why should he try so hard anyway?

'This is impossible, why do I even bother?' He thought, jamming his finger onto a note he'd finally managed to get right. If Jazz could see him at this moment, she'd most likely create some psychological reasoning for his reaction, but all Danny could think of was how angry and frustrated he was.

This was all so pointless.

Why was he even here? He didn't like Vlad, and Vlad didn't like him.

He should've noticed his mother's possession, he should have stopped it.

How could he protect others when he couldn't even properly protect himself? The scars on his body reflected his failures, his idiotic decisions and rash moves.

Who would want a hero so utterly _human?_

His desperate need to be the hero, his love for his family, his loyalty to his friends, it was all _too much-_

_"Shhhh..."_

Danny's saw a hand come into his line of vision and suddenly his right hand had an accompaniment. It was much softer, yet somehow much more confident than his own.

"Gentle," Vlad instructed in a low voice, playing with little effort the difficult part Danny had been failing at. "Like a lullaby."

Vlad looked into Danny's troubled baby blue eyes with his own, steady cobalt ones. Through the turmoil and the grief, there was a fire of passion, hidden just beneath the surface.

He just had to bring it out.

"Again." The man said, turning his gaze to the music.

Danny began once more with Vlad taking the accompaniment, and once again found himself struggling.

"Breathe." Vlad said, making a dramatic rise and drop movement with his shoulders.

Danny followed the man's instructions and took a deep breath, his fingers losing a bit of tension. He finally relaxed and for the first time found himself listening to the tune of the music. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, feeling the rhythm and not only letting Vlad guide him, but using all his pent up passion to lead the piece through to the very end.

He was so caught up in the moment, he almost never wanted it to be over. Danny's eyes clouded with moisture as he remembered the good times he'd had with his family and friends, treasuring them and looking back on them as he played in unison with the one person he'd never thought he'd be able to give a second chance.

But he was a hero, like it or not, he had a moral code to follow. And fruitloop or not, everyone deserved a second chance. Danny had received his at the change of his fate via Clockwork, and now...Vlad would have his.

As the final notes died into what quickly became a deafening silence, Danny blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear the moisture from his eyes. Meanwhile, Vlad let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, and chuckled.

"I blasted two pianos to splinters trying to play this piece so perfectly." He said. "You truly are extraordinary, little badger."

Danny smiled, averting his gaze. He leaned back on the polished bench and sighed.

"No, extraordinary is Jazz, she's got offers from dozens of colleges just this year. Or Sam, she knows exactly who she is and how to stand for what's right." Danny looked at Vlad. "I'm just a normal high school kid that fights bad guys. With the occasional diabolical fruitloop."

Vlad smirked and crossed his arms. This boy, how could he have such peace and contentedness in such a time in his life? Vlad had spent years in a hospital, fighting for control over his powers, having to come to terms with what he was and how he'd live without Maddie...all while completely alone and with no one.

Daniel...was now dangerously close to his very same position. His parents were hilariously misled, he couldn't see his friends every day, and he had been forced out of his home with unbelievably devastating injuries. As much as Vlad disliked admitting it, Daniel was probably being more calm than Vlad would have in his shoes.

It just showed how mature the boy really was. But still, he was a child, hidden under heroics and responsibility and ghost powers. Vlad had seen the vulnerable side of Daniel, whether it be in the throes of a nightmare, or facing his destruction at the hands of his family. What the man wanted more than anything, was to gain the return of the boy's carefree, mischievous attitude and happy disposition.

But could Vlad really be a true father figure to someone just as broken and damaged as he?

"Was it really that hard?"

Vlad blinked. He looked down at Danny, who was now inspecting the music in front of him. The man raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Whatever do you mean, my dear boy?" Vlad responded questioningly. Danny gestured to the piano.

"You said you blasted apart two pianos learning this..." Danny clarified. "I thought you were supposed to be perfect."

"There's that wit of yours." Vlad said rolling his eyes. He then calmed and smiled fondly. "Getting the notes right is one thing, correct interpretation and passion are things that cannot be bought or learned. Yet, you got it in one go. You continue to surprise me, son."

Vlad immediately tensed, recognizing his slip up in words at the end of his explanation. He cringed in preparation for Danny to yell at him, as he had every other time he'd said 'son', but Danny stayed relaxed.

"So...what's it mean?" Danny asked, deciding to ignore Vlad's praise.

Vlad's tense muscles relaxed the tiniest bit and he followed Daniel's gaze to the music. How on Earth Daniel had found that particular score was a wonder in itself. Vlad could remember countless times he'd attempted to get the song just right, moody and restless just as Daniel had been.

But Daniel Fenton was special, he couldn't be tied down for too long. It's what made him so valuable to Vlad. The boy's determination and spirit made it hard not to like him.

"Ah, _Liebeslied."_ Vlad acknowledged, his accent morphing to pronounce the word. "'Love's Sorrow'. It also has two counterparts, called _'Love's Joy'_ and _'Lovely Rosemary'_."

Danny nodded in understanding. Though he was still getting used to this genre of music, it didn't take a genius to guess that 'Love's Sorrow' seemed like an accurate theme for his feelings right now. Straightening up a bit, Danny sighed.

"I'm gonna try it again." He said, determination displayed in his expression. Vlad smirked.

"Have at it, little badger."

From behind the dark, wooden door left slightly ajar, a smile graced the young features of Jazz Fenton as she listened to her brother and Vlad Masters play. The sound lifted the feelings in her heart, despite the music's somber tone.

She hummed the tune as she walked away, satisfied that the two were getting along. At least, they were for now...

Jazz turned a corner and suddenly realized that in her haste to follow her brother, she hasn't really been paying attention to where she was. Jazz looked around and sighed, realizing she was now totally lost.

"Great..." She groaned, walking forward aimlessly. she was on the opposite side of where the residents of the house slept, so she wasn't familiar with what was on this side of the mansion. She figured some exploration was in order.

Besides, she would be bored lazing around the house anyway, so why not poke around?

Jazz made her way down a flight of stairs into what looked like a sitting room. It had animal skin rugs covering the floor and deer heads mounting the walls. The largest and most notable detail however, was the fireplace. The huge, ornate stone curved like pillars on either side and still-warm embers glowed like rubies inside.

But what caught Jazz's eyes wasn't the fire, or the stone work, or the room's interesting decor.

It was the out-of-place football trophy sitting on the mantel.

Jazz walked up to the strange decoration with a single raised eyebrow. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and grabbed the object.

But it didn't come off the stone. Instead, it slid forward just a bit, a soft _'click!'_ ringing through the air.

"No way..." Jazz gasped, pushing the football down like a lever.

Obediently the football moved down and the clicking continued, this time followed by a loud _'crack!'_ sort of noise Jazz couldn't identify.

The girl quickly scrambled back as the fireplace moved like a mechanical doorway and revealed one of the entrance to Vlad's secret lab. Jazz stood in front of the opening, contemplating her options.

If she went in, she would probably get blasted into next week if she got caught. Then again, her curiosity would never forgive her for letting this opportunity pass her by...

"Well, it's not like I was looking for it, it's like...fate?" She squinted. "Yeah, fate! Destiny, chance, that sort of thing..."

Jazz walked in slowly and as soon as the entered the fireplace moved back into place, leaving her in a small, dimly lit hallway faced with a metal set of doors. There was a small panel on the side to enter a password.

"Do I even have to try?" Jazz muttered, quickly entering 'MaddieMasters' into the presented keypad.

It was incorrect.

"Huh?" Jazz gasped, tilting her head as if the keypad were a math problem. How was she wrong? Jazz was never wrong. Like, _ever._

She frowned and tried again, with the same results. Finally she shook her head and scowled, remembering there was someone else Vlad admired like a stalker at the moment. Jazz quickly typed in the same password, except using Danny's name.

Once again, she was incorrect.

"Wait..."

Vlad didn't call her brother 'Danny', he had always used his formal name, 'Daniel'. It would make more sense if...

'DanielMasters'

The doors parted obediently as the password was entered. Jazz suddenly found herself looking into the large underground lab of the Masters' mansion.

She quickly looked around without entering, making sure there was no one inside. Danny was with Vlad upstairs, and she didn't imagine that Vlad's servants would come in here much. She was safe, for now.

Cautiously and quietly, Jazz walked into the lab. It didn't look too different from the FentonWorks lab, the only major difference was the expensive equipment and gear. Aside from that, the girl didn't feel too out of her element. As she walked up to the long tables full of half-finished projects and documents, she could see that Vlad had a knack for taking her parents inventions and making them, well...better. She could see copies of her parent's blueprints, along with original projects like the 'Plasmius Maximus', all scattered about on the long table.

As Jazz continued along something at the end of the table caught her eye. Somewhat hidden under a month's worth of notes was a very old, worn, leather bound book. It stood out against the state-of-the-art steel table and pristine paper. Jazz found herself picking it up and taking a look at it away from the table.

It was surprisingly thin, with no title on the cover or anywhere else she could see. All that was on the front was a picture of a figure in a hood, and somehow Jazz knew this was something she needed to take a closer look at.

But fate seemed to have other plans, since the metal doors began to peel open just as she moved to turn the first page. Jazz quickly hid the book behind her back and turned, coming face to face with Vlad's ghost butler.

"Ah, miss Fenton!" The servant greeted in surprise. "How are you finding the manor? Is everything to your liking?"

She gulped slightly as he walked in and began sifting through a cabinet above the table near her, seemingly as if nothing was wrong. Did he not care that she was invading his employer's privacy? Though, she wasn't complaining. Definitely not.

"Uh, yeah. It's pretty big though, I kinda got lost on my way to the..." The girl racked her brain for a cover-up. "Library? Yeah, the library."

Creepy fruitloops that bought giant houses had to have a library somewhere right? Isn't that where Danny was tutored? Jazz had almost completely drawn a blank at this point.

"Ah, that makes sense, that book must have bored you." He said pleasantly, not looking at her. "It's very ancient."

Jazz started at him, her eyes wide. Her arms went stiff, the book gripped tightly in her hands. "How...did you...?"

Godfrey pulled a vial of something glowing out of the cabinet and finally faced her. His ever-present smile was getting kind of creepy. He nodded to her midsection.

"I can see through things, my dear." He explained. "I don't mean to pry, but I do hope you weren't attempting to hide that book for any malicious reason-"

"No no!" Jazz quickly said. "Nothing like that, I swear."

He seemed relieved and nodded once again, satisfied. Godfrey turned toward the doorway and began walking toward it.

"Well, you best follow me. I'll escort you to the library on the third floor, since Mr. Masters and Mr. Fenton will be using the one on the second floor." He told her.

Jazz didn't hesitate in taking him up on his offer and followed along as he led her out of the lab and out once more into the animal head covered room. Jazz mentally took notes on all the twists and turns the older ghost took in order to find her way back when she needed to return the book. As the walked, Jazz struck up a conversation.

"So, what's that glowing goop for?" Jazz asked, looking at the mixture in Godfrey's hand.

"Ah, it's for one of Mr. Masters inventions. A gift to Mr. Fenton, I believe." He explained, though his answer only succeeded in making the girl more confused.

"For Danny? But what device would need something like..." She halted, looking up at him questioningly. "The...ghost box?"

Godfrey chuckled. "It is an Ectosignature Simulator. Quite an odd piece of technology, as it requires the ghost's ectoplasmic energy to power it... But anyway, I'm no scientist..."

Jazz looked at the pink liquid with a raised eyebrow. She didn't like Danny having the piece of Masters tech in his room in the first place, and this didn't exactly help that feeling.

"So, that's Vlad's blood? Er, ghost blood?" She asked, sticking her tongue out comically.

"Dear me, no!" Godfrey said, laughing. "It's his energy, extracted into liquid form. It sounds disturbing, but the process is almost like draining stuffy sinuses, no pain at all."

Jazz breathed a sigh of relief. For once, she was happy to have been wrong. Though she didn't entirely like this butler ghost, he seemed to be growing on her. As they mounted the stairs to the second floor, she could hear Vlad's voice drifting out from the barely cracked open double doors at the end of the hall. It sounded like he was giving a lecture on some sort of literature, though it was hard to tell.

Jazz smirked, imagining her brother's bored, zombie-like face as he listened and tried to jot down some notes. Danny never was an English lover. As the passed the room, she turned her attention back to Godfrey.

"Do you think they'll truly get along, eventually?" She said. Jazz wasn't sure what had compelled her to say that, but she supposed this old butler was trustworthy enough. Godfrey walked into Danny's room, Jazz following close behind.

"A difficult question to answer, given I cannot possibly know their true feeling for eachother, however," Godfrey paused, picking up the cube on Danny's nightstand and opening a small panel on the side. "If Mr. Masters can put aside his own revenge to aid this boy, and in turn Mr. Fenton can find it in his heart to give my employer a second chance, I'm sure they can develop some sort of mutual trust."

Jazz watched the man pour the contents of the vial into Danny's device and the cube lit up a bright pink that slowly faded to red as the last drops were poured out.

"So what can we do to make that process go a little faster?" Jazz wondered aloud, raising her eyebrow mischievously. Godfrey looked surprised for a moment before he chuckled and led her out to of the room.

"Now you're speaking my language, miss Fenton." He said, a twinkle of excitement in his eye.

He was an old ghost, Godfrey would be the first to admit. The most invigorating moments of his day were when there was drama in the mansion, or issues in which he could meddle. Being old definitely had it perks: everyone always came to him for advice. In other words, he knew just about everything that went on with the residents of the house along with the staff.

Before the three teenagers had come to his employer for help nearly two months ago, the house has been nothing but quiet, brooding silence. Vlad Masters holed himself up in his lab or buried himself in his work most days. Godfrey was often voted to bring him meals and drag him away from his projects when his mood became too scary for the maids to handle. He'd even seen some reduced to tears.

Now, with the young halfa at his side, things had never been better. The boy brought a distraction for the businessman, someone the man could spoil and protect. It also have Vlad a reason to come away from his mountains of work, or his series of projects. Danny was an addition to the mansion Godfrey very much cared about, and was unwilling to let go easily.

"I can't read Vlad, he's not like Danny." Jazz said, interrupting his thoughts. "I can't tell whether he actually cares about Danny or not. He told me that he does, but I can't help but feel skeptical. The man is a bad guy, after all."

Godfrey nodded, understanding where she was coming from. It seemed there were quite a few people that viewed his employer in that way. Vlad Masters was a hard personality to adapt to, and was positively terrifying when angry. He wasn't surprised the girl didn't trust him.

"Although he is half ghost, no person is quite so black and white. Their actions might lean too one side or another, but humans generally have a reason they believe to be good for why they act as they do." Godfrey looked to make sure he hadn't completely confused her before continuing. "In your brother's case, his motivation is heroism. In other words, his need to protect. That is what guides him, and gives him his moral compass. Mr. Masters is much more complicated. Love tends to be that way. He strives to achieve what he believes is rightfully his. His love pushes him to do what he does, as confusing as that may sound."

It was plain to see if you looked hard enough. Vlad didn't view himself as a villain, therefore he didn't believe his actions to be evil. Danny, therefore, was the same. There was more in common between the halfas than most people realized.

"If there's one thing I understand, it's a damaged human's psyche. What you've said makes sense." Jazz replied. She then sighed. "Now if only they could see how powerful they can be if they worked together. I don't know how long Danny can last with my mother the way she is..."

Godfrey hummed in agreement. He couldn't imagine the pain the two children must be going through, having their parents incapacitated like that, but they could only look to the future now. For the two siblings, it was all they had.

"Here we are." Godfrey announced, opening the door that led to the third floor library. "Not quite as large as the second floor's, but this room should provide a comfortable environment to spend your time."

Jazz's mouth hung open as stared into the huge room. There were books everywhere. This place easily rivaled any bookstore she's ever seen. She stepped inside, happy to have a quiet place to read.

"This is perfect, thanks!" She said, waving as Godfrey stepped away.

"My pleasure, miss Fenton. I do hope we can chat together again soon." Godfrey said, shutting the door and hurriedly going back to his duties. It wouldn't do for him to be behind schedule, no matter how much fun he was having talking with the human girl.

Besides, he had to make his employer aware of the girl's presence in his laboratory. A conversation the elder was _definitely_ _not_ looking forward to...

Jazz sighed and dropped the book into a desk she'd located at the far side of the room, right in front of a large window that was bathing the area in warm, comforting light. Perhaps not the best place to read such a dark-looking book, but Jazz was never one for aesthetics.

As she sat down, Jazz opened the first page of the book. She gave a small jolt of surprise when a small note slipped out of its confines onto the desk. It was green, and slightly glowing. Picking it up and examining it, Jazz saw that it was a short, written note from one of Vlad's employees.

_'Plasmius,_

_This treasure was a difficult one to hunt down, I hope you know I'll be expecting to be very well compensated. I also hope you know what you're doing with this kind of artifact. The information contained in it is not to be taken lightly._

_-Skulker'_

Jazz set the note aside, now slightly more cautious. She flipped a few pages, making sure there were no more notes, and made an interesting discovery. As she tried to understand the words printed on the pages, she found that the whole book was written in a language unfamiliar to her. Continuing to look through, Jazz could not find a single word she recognized.

Frustrated, she closed the book and pulled out her phone. There had to be something she could find on this language. It was nothing she's ever seen before, even with the amount of cultures she was familiar with as a brainiac.

Once again, she was left confused and annoyed as the internet provided no results for what she was seeing. This language was not spoken by anyone living today.

Jazz was suddenly struck with an idea, remembering that she wasn't exactly working with _living_ beings, but ghosts. Potentially, very ancient ghosts. She rose from her seat and hurried over to the nearest shelf of books, finding it labeled as 'Historical'. She moved on, walking past various themes and genres such as Poetic, Fictional, Scientific, Psychological (she'd definitely be going back to that one later) and Theatrical/Plays.

Finally, after it seemed she had walked the whole circumference of the room, she found what she was looking for. Hidden near the back, next to a ladder and a section full of autobiographies, was the small section marked 'Paranormal'.

Jazz eagerly scanned the rows of oddly sized books, scrolls and journals in search of something useful. There were several dictionaries on ghostly flora and fauna, along with myths, legends and stories surrounding ghosts. There was one book however, that caught her eye.

It was dark brown and just barely glowing, a trait many of the books shared. The title read: _'Languages of the Deceased',_ and had a gold sheen across the cover. Satisfied, Jazz returned to her desk and searched through the book, hoping for some answers.

Surprisingly, she found it pretty quickly. A language that had been dead for centuries, the odd text was only used in the Ghost Zone by the Observants and ancient ghosts from the time long before Pariah Dark's rule. using the dictionary in the book, Jazz was able to translate her mystery text, albeit very slowly.

What she read would haunt her for years to come. It was an Observants account of the events in the life of the ghost named Deus Ivix. A tale of a monstrous ghost that the Observants tried to use for their own gain, that grew so far out of their control no ghost alone could stop him. The humans he terrorized called it Deus, meaning 'god', but he came no where close to a deity. The Observants dubbed him 'Ivix', a more fitting name.

Using her dictionary, Jazz discovered that 'Ivix' was a combination of the two ghost's language words 'Iv', meaning 'Wild', and 'Ix' meaning 'Evil'. The girl shuddered, thinking of all the things this ghost must have done before being given the damning name.

Suddenly feeling cold, she hugged her arms to her chest and kept reading. Apparently Ivix was found and employed by the Observants to keep peace and order in the Ghost Zone at their will and discretion, and in return, he was allowed to bring terror and exact evil on the humans who lived in that time.

What she found most interesting, was the description of his powers. Ivix had a contractual relationship with his victims, something that was a popular tactic between ghosts at the time. Trickery and deceit were more used than brute force and scare tactics.

The victims would ask Ivix for a favor, and in turn, Ivix would need the victim to touch him in some way. Through a single act of physical contact, Ivix would then be able to control the person's every move. Ivix owned the victim, body and soul, until he no longer has use for them. And when he grew tired of using the victim for his evil deeds...

Jazz sat, horrified, as it dawned on her just how serious their situation was. Maddie could be killed if Ivix is not defeated before he ends the contact! Their mother's life hangs in the balance, yet her little brother is sitting just beneath her acting as if it's a normal day!

The frustrated girl took a moment to calm herself. Danny most likely knew nothing of these particular details. Vlad had kept this book in his lab, somewhere Danny most likely stayed away from.

The thought of Danny having to suffer losing their mother pricked Jazz's heart. She now realized that Maddie probably never intended to hurt Danny. This was all a ploy from the beginning. And now...

Unashamed, Jazz pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly. She bowed her head, her red hair falling over her eyes, and wept.

* * *

Danny could tell Vlad was annoyed.

Sure, his friends seemed to have a running joke about how clueless he could be, but he wasn't blind. Jazz's presence in the manor was causing a major disturbance in what had become the norm for Danny and Vlad. The half ghost was obviously making an effort to accept the girl being there, but lately they seemed to butt heads more than ever before.

It was a conflicting again for Danny, who was trapped in the middle of it all. He loved his sister, for all the overbearing mother hen she could be, but he also...tolerated Vlad now. What else could be said to describe it? Danny was comfortable around the man, probably more than he should be. He couldn't help but feel as if he were betraying his parents by being this close to the man that wishes their marriage never happened.

Jazz would say he was succumbing to his hero complex, and Sam would probably say he should follow his heart. Either way, he couldn't have Vlad _and_ his parents. He didn't have enough of himself to give for both. But he wouldn't go back in his word. He agreed to give Vlad a second chance, and he would keep his end of the deal. As long as Vlad didn't go try to get revenge on his father, he could ride this out a little longer.

Suddenly, the paper he was supposed to be working on- a review quiz in English- was pulled away from him. Danny looked at the ornate clock on the wall and then back to the man responsible for interrupting him.

"I still have six minutes." Danny frowned, dropping his face onto his palm tiredly.

Vlad took one glance at the distracted teenager and rolled his eyes subtly. The boy wasn't getting anywhere with the review today. He'd rather not have to fail him on a simple review that Daniel would ace on a normal day.

"You've written the same answer three questions in a row. I doubt you would have accomplished much." Vlad replied, seeing the unfinished sheet onto his desk in front of Danny's. "Something on your mind?"

Danny tensed. Sure, he was comfortable enough around Vlad to bowl with him, and let the guy tutor him, but he wasn't about to have a heart-to-heart with Vlad Masters. Not if he valued his dignity and self confidence.

What would Sam do in a situation like this? Knowing her, Danny could easily say the goth girl would tell the billionaire exactly what was on her mind, and find some way to make it sound super intelligent and thought out. Danny just didn't have that sort of passion.

Shooing thoughts of his crush from his head, Danny struggled with how to answer Vlad. What could he say that wouldn't put Vlad in a worse mood than he already was? Was there a right answer to his question? Was Danny supposed to start bawling on the man's shoulder? Where was Jazz when you needed her?!

"I... I'm fine. Just tired I guess." Danny finally replied, sighing as if to prove his point. Sadly, Vlad didn't completely buy it.

"Physically or emotionally?" Vlad asked slowly with a raised eyebrow. "You seemed fairly frustrated earlier in the music room."

Danny blushed at the reminder, remembering the way he'd butchered the poor piano piece trying to play with his torn emotions. Vlad had barely critiqued him though, one more thing that Danny wasn't yet used to. Vlad wasn't an overly strict teacher, which was something Danny had been afraid of since he arrived in the mansion. It was silly to look back on now, seeing as Vlad was nearly always calm and took his time explaining things. If Vlad had tutored him since his accident, his grades would have never taken a nose dive into the toilet like they had. Danny was able to understand things he thought he'd never get in his head at Casper High, all thanks to Vlad.

With all that in mind, Danny figured he should at least tell the man the truth. Just the once.

"Are you really jealous?" Danny deadpanned. Vlad's eyes widened a moment before settling into a confused stare. Danny continued. "About Jazz's comment earlier. Are you actually jealous of all the time we spend together since she's been here? Do you resent her?"

Vlad too a deep breath at the sudden onslaught of questions. _Was he_ jealous? Yes. He could admit that. He wanted Daniel at his side, and the girl taking all of his bonding time away was a complete nuisance.

However, once again Daniel seemed to have the wrong idea, no surprise there. He didn't dislike Jasmine _per say_ , but he did find her meddling inexcusable.

"I do not harbor any ill feelings towards your sister, no." Vlad responded. "As for your other question...the answer is complicated."

Danny crossed his arms over the desk, getting comfortable. He was glad Vlad and Jazz weren't seriously fighting, just bickering, but all his questions weren't completely answered yet.

"Explain, then." Danny said, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. Vlad frowned.

"You already know I want you as my heir, and my protege. And since you've given me this clean slate I intend to spend every waking moment attempting to convince you to remain at my side." Vlad said, his tone having a slight bite to it. "But I grow tired of this game, Daniel."

Vlad looked directly at Danny with a tired but passionate look.

"I would be able give you the life you deserve, without judgement, or fear of rejection. We are the half ghost beings in existence, you need me just as much as I need you. I can give you the security you so crave, you need only accept my offer, little badger."

Danny didn't reply right away. He looked away, and stood from his seat. Vlad feared he'd pushed the boy back into his shell, but Danny didn't simply run out as the man anticipated.

Meanwhile, Danny was having a difficult time accepting that after all this time, Vlad still saw him as a trophy, just another thing he needed to acquire. The man would never change.

Danny's parents loved him for many different reasons. They supported and guided him through his rebellious antics and proud moments out of love. Vlad simply couldn't understand the mind of a parent.

The boy turned to leave, his back to Vlad, and asked one more question.

"Do you still think you'd be a better father than Jack Fenton?" He asked bitterly.

Vlad tensed and looked down, actually thinking about the question. His heart felt differently about the subject than it had a month and a half ago. Back then he would have cursed the man's name in a heartbeat. Now...

"No." Vlad said quietly. He provided no explanation, but thankfully Danny didn't need one. The man's tone said it all.

"Do you still think you'd be a good father _to me?"_ Danny pressed, daring to look over his shoulder at the older man.

Danny knew the billionaire's speech was as real as a Saturday night sitcom. Vlad didn't speak from the heart, he spoke with confidence and deceit. Danny was all heart. As much as he'd hate to admit it, he was probably more sensitive than most boys his age. With all that he'd been through, one wrong word could make him break down.

"...No."

Danny's chest tightened and his eyes went wide. Did he just say-?

"I finally see...I can't be a good father to you, Daniel." Vlad expanded.

Danny's eyes unwillingly filled with tears, but he dared not let them fall. Vlad still wasn't looking at him, his gaze fixed in the floorboards beside him. Somehow, it hurt that someone so interested in being in his life now was rejecting him. He had a very small group of people he could trust at this point, and it felt like a knife had just been stabbed through his gut as Vlad took his confidence and shook it to its core.

Vlad had finally realized what it meant to live with a troubled, half ghost teenager in his household. Danny didn't blame him for that. How could he? His parents were always angry at him for one reason or another, and Danny was constantly having to lie to them. His life was far from that of a pampered, genius billionaire.

Who could ever want _him?_

Just as Danny moved to take a step forward, away from Vlad, away from the heartache, somewhere other than right there, right then, Vlad spoke again.

"I would have to learn." Vlad said, looking up at Danny's stiff back. "I'm new to the idea of family. You would have to teach this old man how to be... _affectionate,_ and fatherly."

Danny looked back. Vlad smiled, a barely-there smile that Danny had long since learned to be able to notice. Any other person would have thought the man never did much besides grimace and smirk.

"However, you would first have to accept me as a part of your life. I cannot force you, I see that now." Vlad frowned again before continuing. "I am not Jack Fenton. I never will be. But...I want to support you Daniel. I wish to be someone important to you. But you have to let me."

Danny pressed his hands to his chest in uncertainty. It felt like his heart was racing, and his whole body was on high alert. He didn't know what he should say. If only Clockwork were here, or Jazz, or Sam. They would know what to do.

But this wasn't a decision he could make with the recommendations of his friends. This was something he had to decide for himself. Danny couldn't have felt more stressed in any ghost fight or math test than he felt right now.

But he was the hero. He had to make the right choice.

"I...I don't want to trust you." Danny began. "My head is constantly telling me to stay away, afraid you'll betray me. But my heart wants to help you, to give you this second chance. I... I'm confused."

Vlad understood where the boy was coming from. This was new for him as well. He wasn't expecting to open up and be honest like he just had been in front of Daniel, but he had. Then again, he hasn't expected to help and house a fourteen year old son of his enemy, either.

What a rough couple of months.

"I understand you have no real reason to trust me. But I can only give you my word, Daniel." Vlad said. "The trust that comes with it will have to be built in time."

Danny nodded. What Vlad said made sense, as much as he hated to admit. He finally turned around and dropped his hands to his sides.

"...Okay." Danny said. "Just one more chance."

Vlad's eyes flashed with an emotion Danny could not identify. He chuckled, running a hand through his tied hair.

"Good. I was worried there for a moment." Vlad teased. Danny rolled his eyes.

"This doesn't mean you're taking my dad's place." Danny reminded. "Just so you know."

Vlad crossed his arms. "Those would be rather huge shoes to fill, I think I'll pass."

Danny sighed, recognizing the snide remark for what it was. He turned around again, this time having the courage to step away, and tossed over his shoulder:

"I guess...I'll see you later."

Vlad hummed in response and watched Danny leave. As the door to the library closed, the room felt infinitely more lonely. Vlad hardly noticed. He leaned back against his desk and looked up, his eyes unfocused, and shining with moisture.

He'd done it.

He finally had the chance to achieve one of his greatest goals. And he would get Daniel as his son.

No evil plot necessary.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Vlad and Jazz talk about something that could potentially ruin Danny's newfound trust in Vlad** _

* * *

 


	19. Internal Dispute

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 19: Internal Dispute**

Jazz sat in the library for a long time, thinking of her next move.

Vlad knew, all this time, that there was a chance that Maddie could lose her life. He had known and didn't tell them.

She had been ready to move on from her mother after she'd betrayed Danny, but now that there was a chance of getting her real self back...

The girl's tears had long since dried, and the future psychologist was in complete focus mode. Hiding this information from her had been a mistake on Vlad's part, sure, but hiding it from _Danny_ was just plain suicidal. Danny would beat Vlad to a pulp if he found out the wrong way.

Jazz couldn't confront either of them now. She had to talk to Vlad without Danny knowing or possibly interfering, and for that, she had to wait. In the meantime, she had a brother to talk to.

The redheaded girl made her way to her brother's room where she made herself comfortable on his bed, admiring the nerdy space theme of the area.

Thinking about the newfound relationship between the two Halfas was complicated at best. Vlad was simply evil, someone who saw people as pawns or a means to an end. Danny, in contrast, had a strong sense of morality and would do anything to keep his loved ones safe.

There were like fire and ice, light and dark.

But after her recent talk with Vlad by Danny's bedside, Jazz sensed a change. Vlad wasn't completely heartless, he was only _half_ ghost after all. His human emotions often took a backseat in his decision making, while Danny's emotions were always at the forefront.

Jazz believed wholeheartedly that Danny had the ability to appeal to Vlad's humanity, to break through the icy walls the billionaire had constructed around his heart. Danny was a knight for the good of others, even to the point of sacrificing his own happiness, Jazz's knew that more than anyone. If anyone could bring about change in the older man's heart, it was her brother.

So as Jazz waited, she imagined what life would be like with her brother here, in Vlad's care. Danny was not as independent as he seemed. Emotionally, Danny couldn't stand being alone, he needed someone to support and believe in him, even if the rest of the entire world wouldn't. Jazz always thought she would be that person for her little brother, but fate had a funny way of messing with your plans.

After an hour of deep thinking, Jazz could finally hear Danny coming down the hall, whistling to himself. She recognized the tune as the one the two halfas had been playing earlier, and smiled somewhat sorrowfully.

If Vlad didn't come clean about Maddie's doom, it could ruin Danny's trust in him for good.

Danny phased through the door and abruptly stopped, flinching in surprise at seeing Jazz. He relaxed in the next moment and put a hand to the back of his neck, breathing out shakily.

"Geez, Jazz!" Danny complained. "A little warning next time!"

Jazz tried to laugh but couldn't manage to remember how. She simply couldn't bring herself to do more than smile. She patted the space next to her and spoke with a serious but soft tone.

"I wanted to talk to you, without your shadow." She said.

Danny walked over with a slight scowl on his face. "He's not my-"

"I know." Jazz interrupted. "Just...sit."

Danny quirked an eyebrow upwards in confusion. Sure, he was used to his sister wanting to be involved in his life, but something about her eyes and demeanor said he should hold back any awkward jokes and listen.

As Danny sat down next to her Jazz was suddenly very aware that he was nearly her height. Danny wasn't her little 'kid' brother anymore. Jazz took a calming breath and stared at the door in front of them.

"Danny, I want you to be happy, you know that." She began. "I know being away from Mom and Dad is hard, but you still found it in your heart to give Vlad a chance, and that's a decision that I will always support..."

"I sense a 'but' coming..." Danny muttered. Jazz rolled her eyes.

" _However_ , I need you to really think about what it is that makes you feel happy and why it is you're here, aside from the obvious reasons." Jazz stated matter-of-factly, and, as if teasing Danny's mind, she continued. "You're fourteen, you are allowed to think about yourself every once in awhile."

Danny curled up, holding his knees to his chest. He understood where his sister was coming from, but...

"It's not that simple, Jazz." Danny said, breathing deeply. "When I got my powers, I took on the responsibility of being a hero. That was my decision, but it was an easy one to make, because I had friends and family that needed me to be the superhero."

Danny flexed his fingers thoughtfully and laid his cheek on top of his knees, facing Jazz.

"Vlad...it's like he's so close to changing, being good, but I can't help but feel cautious around him. I don't want him to betray me, but I've never had to care about that before, so it's strange for me." Danny continued. "This is a decision that's wholly mine, a choice that _I_ have to make. I'm used to looking to others for help, heck, I wouldn't have even gotten this far without Sam and Tucker beside me...I just wish someone could tell me what I need to do."

Jazz placed a gentle hand on her brother's shoulder, nodding in understanding. She really did feel sympathetic. Even though she could never have the forgiving and soft heart that Danny had- she was much too realistic- she wanted to encourage her brother to do what he believed was right. Danny had the moral code of an angel, never putting himself before others, always rushing to aid his loved ones.

Vlad needed someone like that. Jazz wished it were under other circumstances, but Danny was here now, under Vlad's care, by Vlad's side. What better way for Vlad to get closer to Danny.

The closer you are to the light, the stronger you are against the darkness.

"I can't tell you what the right choice is, Danny." Said Jazz. "But you know I'll always support you, no matter what."

"Thanks, Jazz." Danny replied, sighing. "I wish Sam and Tucker were here, I miss them."

Jazz nodded. "I'm sure they wish they could visit more often, too. But we can't risk another incident like the last one."

"That's just it, Jazz." Danny said, uncurling and suddenly bright eyed. "I _have_ to get this guy, I know I can do it, but Vlad keeps telling to be patient, to wait for the opportunity to come...I don't know how long I can continue to do that."

Jazz frowned. She knew exactly why Vlad didn't want to take on Ivix yet. It was too soon, too risky. He hadn't come up with a solid way to free Maddie yet, they couldn't go fight right now.

"For right now, I think we should follow his advice." Jazz said carefully. "I know he wouldn't do anything to compromise what trust you have built up in these months. And for Vlad Masters, that's pretty rare."

Danny remained silent, annoyed and restless. Too long he's been cooped up in the mansion, afraid to be a normal teenager again. All he wanted was for things to go back to the way they had been, back to what he knew.

"All I'm asking is that you think about what I've said." Jazz continued. "This isn't just about saving mom and dad."

"Huh?"

Jazz rolled her eyes and stood up. "You'll figure it out."

With her piece said, Jazz turned and left Danny to himself and focused on her next target. She needed answers, and Danny certainly wasn't going to give them to her.

Indeed, Danny was being kept in the dark, both of them had been. The seriousness of their situation had always been there, but _just how_ important it was that they win this battle was beginning to dawn on her.

Jazz was used to being able to see the positive side of most things, to see the glass half full. Lately, it seemed that her 'sunshine and rainbows' attitude was being pushed down in favor of grieving pessimism. She felt as if she'd already lost her mother. As if there was no real hope left.

Perhaps that is why Vlad kept Maddie's possible death a secret? Was there no way to save her, no possibility she could survive? Was Danny heroic determination just a waste of energy at this point?

Jazz shook her head. She couldn't allow herself to think like that. She had to remain positive. At least, for now.

For Danny.

Jazz finally found Vlad in his study, able to hear his annoyed voice having a conversation with what she assumed was an employee over the phone.

She would have laughed, had she been in the mood or mindset to do so. Danny definitely would have found Vlad's frustration funny. Now, Jazz simply opted to ignore it.

When there was a telling slam of plastic on plastic followed by a frustrated sigh, Jazz took that as her cue to enter. As she did, Vlad raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity.

"Come to analyze me already, Jasmine?" Vlad said, straightening up the strewn about documents sitting on his desk. From what she could see it looked like harmless paperwork, but one could never be sure with a man like Vlad.

"It's 'Jazz'." The girl replied, ignoring the billionaire's condescending question.

"Indeed it is."

Jazz walked over to the desk until she was a foot or two from it and steeled herself. She had to ask, because she _needed_ answers. It was that simple. Yet...

"What exactly is your plan to take down Ivix?" Jazz began. She had no intention of confronting him just yet.

Vlad seemed confused by her question but it lasted less than a second before he was rapidly responding.

"It's a work in progress, my dear." Vlad shrugged off. "One can never plan too much."

Jazz rolled her eyes as Vlad's eyes scanned whatever document he had in his hands. A practiced answer from a practiced villain. She tried again.

"Danny won't wait forever, Vlad. He's dying to take this guy down for good." Jazz pushed. "Don't you think you should talk to him about this?"

Vlad smiled at Jazz in that insincere 'how cute' sort of way that made her skin crawl. He wasn't listening to her at all!

"If you're worried that Daniel will run off to fight this ghost alone, you don't need to worry about it. Everything will work out." The man said.

"Everything will work out? _Really?"_ Jazz scoffed. "Is that what you're telling yourself? Two months you've been here living like usual and you haven't even figured out your plan of attack?"

That seemed to get Vlad's attention. The billionaire placed the paper in the desk and folded his arms over his chest, looking at Jazz. If she weren't quite so angry, she might have been intimated.

"I certainly don't see you coming up with a miracle solution at this moment, miss Jasmine." Vlad shot at her. "Besides, there after variables that a silly girl like you could not possibly understand, things that must be considered in order for my plans to actually work."

Jazz forced her deep desire to shed tears to the back of her mind as she thought about the life of her mother hanging the balance. And Vlad was willing to keep them in the dark in favor of being cruel and deceitful. How Danny had lived with him this long, she'll never know.

She wanted Danny to be happy, and if that meant Vlad was in his life, so be it, but that didn't mean she would simply allow her brother to be manipulated by someone with such a repulsive sense of morality and dignity.

"You expect me to just leave my mother's life in your 'capable' hands, is that it?" Jazz finally said evenly.

Vlad tensed ever-so-slightly. It would have been a nearly undetectable change had she not been looking for it. But Jazz knew quite a bit about people. How they thought, how they felt, and how they reacted...

And Vlad's reaction said it all.

"That _is_ the truth, isn't it?" Jazz continued. "Me and Danny, we put a lot of faith in you when we came here. And we continued to trust you because we believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Yet here you are, going back to being the villain. If you knew my mother was in this kind of danger, why hide it when you knew it would turn out like this? I thought you were supposed to be the genius here."

Vlad nearly scoffed at the girl's act. If she believed she would get some sort of heartfelt apology she was sorely mistaken.

How could he have shared that information, knowing full well that the chances of any of his plans succeeding in separating Maddie and Ivix safely were infinitesimal at best.

Vlad had given his all over the past few weeks to come up with _something_ he could use to save the love of his life. All he had so far as a plan was just to kill Ivix in a moment when he is separated from Maddie's body. However, getting Ivix out in the first place would be dangerous in and of itself.

"So, you've figured it out. I was foolish to have underestimated you, Jasmine." Vlad conceded. He stood, slowly, carefully. "But there is something you have yet to understand, I'm afraid."

"Oh yeah?" Jazz scoffed, folding her arms.

"Priorities." Vlad said. "They differ from person to person, as do most things. Right now, my highest and most important priority is making sure your brother has a future and a home to return to. Whatever happens to you as a result of me fulfilling this task is merely... _collateral damage."_

"Therefore, as unfortunate as it is that we have come to this point, I must ensure that you do not tell Daniel what might happen to his mother, should my plans fail." Vlad's eyes changed from blue to a sickening bright red. "So, _Jazz_ , if you decide to let the cat out of the bag at any time, I will ensure that neither you or any of Daniel's little friends have a future, anywhere. Colleges like Yale or Harvard will not even consider looking into you, and the workforce will gladly accept you, Samantha and Tucker as young, new fast food workers."

Jazz clenched her fists at her sides as her body tensed. She knew Vlad had enough power and influence- even without ghost powers- to make such a threat a reality, yet she refused to let the blackmail scare her.

"Do you honestly think I will keep this from Danny? I couldn't care less if I have to flip burgers all my life, my brother is more important than that!" Jazz snapped, matching Vlad's glare.

"Ah, I seemed to have forgotten the best part of this deal," Vlad grinned. "You seem to forget, that Daniel- and yourself, are currently runaways from parents that have threatened your lives time and again. Do you understand what that means-?"

"You can't force Danny to be your adopted son!" Jazz interrupted. Vlad laughed.

"Really? As far as the law is concerned, such a feat would be like taking candy from a baby! I could have Daniel legally bound to me within days and I'll ensure that he never sees you or his previous friends _ever._ _again."_ Vlad said. "And I know you won't fight me now, Daniel means too much to you for you to jeopardize his happiness. Admit it, girl, it's checkmate."

Jazz couldn't help but feel like a cornered mouse, or the last standing piece on a chessboard. Why had she thought to take matters into her own hands?! She wasn't the hero, not like Danny.

Her eyes remained locked with Vlad's but they had lost their previous fire. They now held frustration...and also pity.

"He believes in you, you know?" She said, her voice soft. Vlad raised a confused eyebrow at her in reply.

"Danny wants to trust you, and- if your words to me at Danny's bedside were true- you care for him, at least a little." Jazz finally looked away, to the blueprints pushed to the side of the desk that she recognized as the designs for Danny's Ecto Signature Projector. "That _means_ something. To him, and to me."

"I won't say anything to Danny. But believe me Vlad, if this comes out and Danny sees you for what you really are, you can kiss your trust in each other goodbye."

With her piece said, Jazz felt uncharacteristically numb as she turned to leave Vlad's study. The weight of her speech settling between them held such suspense and emotion that Vlad didn't even care to reply and simply watched her go, his eyes clearing into his normal human, blue irises.

Vlad let a fist drop against the desk with a satisfying _'Thump'_ of anger. He forced himself to breathe deeply and relax as he absorbed the older sibling's advice.

Vlad was no fool. He knew that Daniel would be livid if he found out Vlad was hiding something concerning his family's well fare from him. Especially at a time such as this.

But it was addicting, having Daniel look at him with something other than hate, to talk and be able to stand each other's presence without a battle breaking out! To possibly give all of that up, just for the sake of being the good guy...

Was it worth it?

Vlad stood in silence for several minutes, thinking about and weighing his choices for this situation. It was not his turn to move, and he had to make this turn count. But would his decision be his saving grace or his doomed downfall?

The billionaire walked out of his study and into the hall with a solemn expression on his face. It seemed like today was fated to be an unpleasant one.

And as the man spotted the infamous half ghost come around the corner towards him, he wondered just how much the universe wished to punish him today.

"Oh, there you are. Jazz said you were busy, but I guess not..." Danny looked at Vlad with a curious tilt of his head. "Uh...you okay?"

Vlad forced himself to smirk and loosen the tension threatening to turn him into a coiled spring.

"Concerned, little badger?" Vlad teased half-heartedly.

Danny blanched at the nickname and shrugged, now more irritated than curious. "Whatever."

"Was there something in particular you wanted, Daniel?" Vlad pushed, eager to get as far away from Daniel as possible.

He loathed to admit it, but he was feeling a tad bit...guilty. Daniel didn't deserve half of what was now happening to him, and here he was, back to his evil ways, manipulating and scheming all so that he could live the life he'd always wanted to.

But didn't he deserve that much? Out of all the misfortunes in his life, hadn't he earned this small bit of happiness in his otherwise mundane and morbid existence?

Didn't he deserve to have a son like Daniel?

"Oh, yeah!" Danny's eyes lit up as he remembered. "Well, I was kinda hoping you weren't busy right now because I really wanted to ask you a little more about duplicating- I know you want me to keep studying the basics but I can _feel_ it Vlad! I'm _this_ close!"

Danny's childish stressing on his words almost made Vlad chuckle, but the mere idea of being close to Daniel at the moment brought an uncomfortable feeling to his brain, one he would've bring himself to endure for the sake of training Daniel right now.

"I'm much too busy to walk you through such a complex ability, Daniel." Vlad said sharply, remaining stern although he longed to take his decision back as Danny's face fell. "Besides, such an ability is not simply perfected in one day."

"I-I know that." Danny replied, shifting on his feet. "I just thought you could tell me how to practice it more efficiently, or- I dunno, coach me through it..."

Vlad was growing more and more irritated at the fact that he could feel the guilt bubbling up inside him. It felt like there was a gnawing in his gut and a lump in his throat. He had to get away.

"As I've said, I have plenty of work to do and do not have time to spend holding your hand through an ability you honestly should have learned months ago." Vlad said coldly.

"Hey-!"

"Furthermore," Vlad interrupted. "I would like to once again stress to you how important it is that you _stay away_ from my ghost portal and do not, _ever,_ go into the Ghost Zone without my permission. I cannot protect you if you won't protect yourself."

Danny seemed confused for a few moments before he finally made the connection.

"Jazz totally snitched on me, didn't she?" Danny said, appalled. When Vlad didn't respond right away, Danny knew he was correct and cried, "Unfair!"

Vlad rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to laugh. Daniel was missing the point.

"I mean it Daniel, I don't believe I need to remind you of the consequences should you disobey me on this." Vlad said, his tone just a bit softer.

Danny flushed slightly pink. "Yeah yeah, I get it already."

Vlad nodded. "Good. Now then, I suggest you find something productive with which to spend your afternoon, as I will be absent for the remainder of the day. I cannot entertain you, so find something to do that is as harmless to your well-being and the wellbeing of my house as possible, please."

With that, Vlad turned and walked in the opposite direction he'd been heading in. Danny scoffed at the man as he turned his back on him.

"I'm not a wild animal, fruitloop!" He exclaimed.

Now alone in a huge mansion with Vlad leaving for the rest of the day Danny felt oddly isolated. There were many things to do, the place had it's on bowling alley after all, but it didn't feel as cool experiencing all those things by yourself.

When Jazz had passed by him in the hallway she'd also mentioned that she'd be reading in her room and didn't want to be disturbed for a while, which Danny found extremely confusing. Jazz had been nothing but vigilant these past few days and now he felt as if he was the only poor soul out of the loop.

He supposed this is why his friends often called him clueless.

So as Danny made his way down to the kitchen, deciding to literally follow his gut and head for food, he pulled out his cell phone and messaged Sam. She had class and he knew that, but being alone just wasn't his thing.

He wasn't like Vlad. Had Danny been the one cast out of society and alone, he most likely wouldn't have been able to handle it. People kept him grounded, almost sheltered, in reality. Sam and Tucker both had a share in keeping him sane while he went out fighting ghosts everyday and trying to keep his grades up as well as have a social life...

Besides, Sam always knew just the right things to say to motivate him.

Once she confirmed that she could talk, Danny dialed her number and called. It felt good, in a normal, everyday way, to be calling his friends again. Even if it was just to let them know he was okay.

 _"Hey, Danny."_ Sam answered, having picked up on the second ring. _"What's Up?"_

Danny almost sighed in relief. Something about knowing she was okay, talking to him like she would on any normal day, gave him a sense of peace.

"Hi Sam, I just wanted to hear you-" Danny realized the weirdness of his words and blathered on, "B-Because it's just so quiet and boring around here, and it has been a while- well, not really a _while_ but-!"

He could hear snorting laughter on the other end and took that as his cue to shut up. Danny brought a hand to his face and lit it up with cold energy, trying to cool his reddened face.

 _"I'm guessing the fruitloop finally gave you a break? Jazz has been non-stop complaining about how close he is to you now!"_ Sam said.

"He's _tutoring_ me, he's not my babysitter!" Danny protested. "And Vlad's giving me more than just a break- I think he's avoiding me."

Sam raised an eyebrow from her position seated under the bleachers, her new hiding spot for when class was in session.

She knew Vlad and Danny were...allies. Close wasn't quite the right word, and they were far from friends.

Sam wasn't sure when exactly she decided Vlad being around Danny was a good thing, but she had gotten plenty of time to talk to Jazz and they'd both come to the agreement that Danny was safest, and happiest with Vlad.

She knew, more than anyone, that Danny's first instinct was to protect. It was almost like his default. With Vlad, he could relax, there was someone other than himself with powers, someone he could look up to.

It didn't stop her from remembering Vlad's history, however. Sam was young, but she wasn't a fool. Vlad was the villain of all villains as far as she was concerned, and though he was still half human, Sam would always be hesitant to give him a second chance to change his ways.

 _"And that's a **bad** thing?"_ Sam replied, smirking. _"Or... You don't think he's back to evil scheming already, right?"_

Danny rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Sam. Something's up."

_"So, talk to him!"_

Danny yanked his hand away from his face, now gesturing as he spoke rapidly.

" _Me,_ talk to _him?!_ " Danny asked incredulously. "I can barely crack a joke around the guy without getting- I mean, without him blowing up."

Great, his face was red again.

Sam sighed. ' _And everyone says us girls are complicated._ ' She thought.

 _"If he's plotting something, you've gotta put a stop to it, Danny."_ Sam said. _"But, it could be something else entirely. The best way to proceed at this point would be just to talk to the guy. He's not Dracula, you know."_

 _'He might as well be, with those creepy red eyes.'_ Danny thought.

He considered Sam's thought. His track record wasn't the greatest when it came to being tactful, but then again, he and Vlad had been getting along lately...

"You're right," Danny sighed, then rolled his eyes. "As usual."

Sam bowed slightly, even though Danny couldn't see it. _"Always a pleasure, dear sir."_

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of whether he should tell Sam how he was thinking of going after Ivix.

 _"Seriously though, are you okay with...everything?"_ He heard Sam say after a few moments of silence.

She could read him like an open book. And honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way, as chest as it sounds.

"Truthfully? No, I'm not okay." Danny said. "I should be at home, worrying about homework and chores, not here in this empty house praying my mom lives to see tomorrow."

_"Danny..."_

"I know," Danny said. "I have to believe, keep my hopes high and wait for the right moment to strike, but I can't just keep sitting around waiting to be attacked! I can't Sam, I need to get this ghost, not just capture him, he needs to pay for what he's done!"

_"Sounds an awful lot like you want to kill this guy."_

Danny blinked dumbly. He was tense, drawn up to his full height and pacing back and forth. He felt like a coiled spring.

 _Did_ he want to kill Ivix?

 _"You're many things, Danny Fenton. Goofy, heroic, clueless...but a murderer is not one of them."_ Sam said when Danny didn't answer right away. _"You don't have to do this alone, you've never had to before, and you shouldn't start now. We're a team, you, me, Tucker and Jazz, and now Vlad, too."_

Danny forced himself to relax his muscles, focusing on Sam's sincere, soft voice. It was the voice she used only when they were together, when she could put her cold exterior aside for the moment, purely running on emotion.

"I know." Danny finally replied. "I'm just, I don't know...-"

 _"You're afraid."_ Sam interjected. _"It's okay to be. I'm always going to be here for you."_

Danny smiled genuinely for the first time in what seemed like years. "How come you always know exactly what to say?"

_"Somebody has to, dummy."_

"Either way, I still appreciate it." Danny said.

_"Anytime, Mr. Hero."_

After ending his call with Sam, Danny killed time by taking advantage of Vlad's home theater and rotting his brain with Sci-fi films. Throughout the afternoon however, he could never completely focus.

His mind kept wandering back to Ivix, and all of the unknowns surrounding him. What kind of person goes after half-ghosts, and messes with humans? Who _was_ Deus Ivix?

There weren't enough answers for Danny to feel comfortable, heck, he'd only seen a glimpse of the ghost's real form!

Danny pushed himself to think, the movie in front of him completely forgotten. How could he figure out more about Ivix? What could he do that Vlad hadn't tried already?

Suddenly, like a static shock, he realized it.

His nightmares. Ivix had always antagonized him through nightmares!

With Vlad's Projector device on at night he had all but forgotten about the ghost entering his dreams.

But there was still the risk that came with such a plan. Ivix had taken control of him before, and he'd been nearly killed each time.

Telling Vlad was definitely not an option, so he'd have to accept the risk. He would need to be strong enough to get through the dream, confront Ivix, and get out, safely.

Not a plan likely to go well, Danny would admit- but it was the best he could come up with.

When evening finally arrived and Jazz had said goodnight to him shortly after dinner, Danny went straight up to bed. Danny sat in his bedroom staring at the small box on his bedside table with hesitation.

He hadn't seen Vlad all day. He hadn't bothered to show his face for dinner, nor did Danny find him in his favorite sitting room with the huge fireplace where he would often relax as the sun went down.

It felt odd, being so used to the man's presence and now suddenly experiencing the opposite.

Danny shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. He wasn't even close to ready, but he swallowed his doubt and snatched the box from the night stand. He quickly turned the square thing off and set it back quickly, as if he was doing something he shouldn't.

Laying back onto his bed, Danny stared at the ceiling, as if suddenly forgetting how to fall asleep. How did people do it again? Count sheep, read?

Danny settled for remembering the best times he'd spent with his parents, his mother specifically. He could feel himself smiling in the darkness, remembering the Thanksgiving dinners where they ended up fighting for their lives against zombie turkeys, and the time Maddie and Danny had gotten stranded in the woods after Vlad had tricked them, definitely a story he would save for his kids one day.

Without realizing it, Danny's eyes slid closed and his breathing evened out. With a final sigh, he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

**_Next Chapter: It's time for some answers, but at what cost?_ **

* * *

 


	20. Planning Phase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanking in this- tags have been updated. Enjoy~

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 20: Planning Phase**

Danny's eyes slowly and groggily peeled themselves open while the rest of his body seemed adamant on not moving an inch.

It was one of those sensations one would feel when trapped in a horrible dream and somehow rendered unable to move. Danny felt frozen to the spot, yet unable to stop his eyes from opening.

What he saw when his sleepy eyes went into focus was dark shadows and a vast amount of gray. Everything seemed devoid of vibrant color and light.

He finally found the strength to move but found that his will alone was not enough to get him standing from his slumped position against a dark gray wall.

Large, almost ridiculous looking chains wrapped around his arms and legs, keeping him bound to the plain wall behind him. Danny could barely make out a padlock the size of his open palm laying two feet from him, hanging innocently beside the boy.

Danny heard sudden footsteps, soft but deliberate, and set his face to a calm expression. He could do this. He _would_ do this.

"Amazing, how easy it is to manipulate a youthful mind such as yourself these days." A mocking voice broke through the silence. A dark figure came into view and Danny felt a shudder run down his spine as the bony body of the ghost became visible.

Its long, hooded coat was dark as night and dragged on the floor, the edges in tatters. All Danny could clearly make out were the two bright purple, pupil-less irises that stared into him as Ivix approached.

"Where is she?" Danny demanded, less as a question and more as a statement. All he could see around the room was dark gray and black, unable to fully distinguish what wasn't right in front of him.

"Patience, half breed." Ivix said, raising a bony, clawed finger to what Danny could only assume were his lips, so dark was the room. "All in good time."

"My name is _Danny."_ Said the halfa. "Why are you so obsessed with my family? Why target us?"

The ghost grinned, and Danny was able to see the white, fanged teeth that smile held, and a shudder threatened to shake though him. Danny tensed.

"I was powerful, so very powerful..." Said the evil ghost, seemingly lost in a daydream. "But that was so long ago. The Observants let me roam free, so long as I left the humans be. But they are so incredibly tempting...so fragile, weak."

"So the Cyclops Ghosts caught you and imprisoned you for what you'd done." Danny finished, thinking of how many people had been tricked by the ghost in its long existence. "And now you want revenge. But what does that have to do with me?"

Suddenly, Ivix' smile disappeared, and he gave a deep growl of frustration. He raised his claws, and this time Danny could see bright, glowing ectoplasm dripping from them. A horrible stench filled the air and he was forced to suppress a gag.

"I killed, yes, but it was for the sake of order!" Ivix ranted. "To keep order among the ghosts, the dangerous, the uncontrollable, the unnatural must perish! Such was the way of the Observants- such was the way of the Ghost Zone."

"But much has changed." He continued. "My imprisonment has kept me out of touch with this modern world. When I escaped and saw the same murderers and liars permitting such atrocities as you and the elder half breed to live among us, I could not stand by idly. I was created to kill those that stain our world with their filth. However, I could not pass through to this world with my own strength; the power that the Observants used to seal me away had weakened me."

Danny shifted uncomfortably, trying to digest what he was hearing. Ivix' eyes were hazy yet crazed, darting about with a glazed over stare.

"So how did you get to my mother, if you were trapped in the Ghost Zone?" Danny asked.

"Fool," Ivix snarled. "Twas not I that came to your mother, but _she_ who summoned _me."_

Danny went rigid, watching as one of Ivix' blood stained hands moved to point to Danny's left. A dim light appeared and Danny gasped as he adjusted to the light and his eyes focused.

His mother lay in a similar chained position to himself, yet she looked significantly weaker than he. Maddie would have seemed dead had her chest not been steadily rising and falling in shallow breaths.

"I'd heard of your existence from the guards who mocked me from behind the safety of my cage's walls." Said Ivix. "It was only too easy to listen for the yearning heart of a hate-filled human who knew of you to give me the strength to breach through to your world."

"No..." Danny whispered.

"Ah, but it gets so much better." Ivix laughed. "Not only did I find you, but you brought me to another of your kind!"

A foggy picture of Vlad floated into Danny's view and he tensed up once more. Great, now he'd gotten both the halfas in trouble.

Danny turned to his mom and frowned, wishing he could move closer to her, hug her, tell her just how much he was determined to save her.

Too long had he lived without her sweet voice and love, wondering if he'd ever see her kind smile again. He knew in his heart that Maddie's hatred for Phantom came from a deep desire to protect. Her family had always- and would always- come first.

"Let me talk to her." Danny pleaded, not looking at the ghost beside him. "...Please."

Ivix laughed coldly. He eyed Danny as the halfa gazed upon his mother in grief. His sorrow brought a wicked smile to Ivix' shadowy face.

"Out of mercy, I shall allow it." Said the sadistic ghost. His form grew hazy and flickered in and out of view as he taunted, "You have five minutes, halfling, make it count!"

Danny's bonds disappeared as did the invisible weight keeping him from moving. Ivix finally blinked out of sight and within seconds Danny was up and kneeling by Maddie's side.

"Mom? Oh, geez, you gotta be okay..." Danny said shakily.

Maddie's light, lavender eyes slowly opened and it seemed to take an agonizingly slow amount of time for her to focus. When she saw Danny, her mouth parted in shock.

"Please...tell me this is not a hallucination. Are you real?" Said Maddie, her hand coming up to Danny's face, but not having enough courage to touch the boy for her fear that he might disappear.

"It's me, mom." Danny whispered with emotion. He rested his cheek into her open palm and sighed silently in relief. "I'm here, I'm gonna save you, I swear."

Maddie pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked at Danny with a troubled expression.

"No." Maddie said. "This ghost, this _monster_ is beyond anything we've ever seen. He'll hurt you, or worse!"

Maddie brought her other hand up so that she cupped her son's face in both of her hands.

She'd missed him, dearly. But she also loved him too much to lose him. Especially to one of her mistakes.

"You have to stay away. He's manipulated your father somehow, he's-"

"I know," Danny interrupted. "But I've gotten stronger, mom. I can take this guy; I have to try!"

Maddie just shook her head, her eyes filled with grief. She looked him straight in the eyes and whispered:

"I would relive getting possessed by this demonic ghost one hundred times...if it meant I could see the truth about you."

She moved her hands down to his shoulders, her hold firm and gentle all at once. A mother's love was powerful, and the feeling in the air was strong enough to be near tangible.

"I see it now, the good in your heart, the hero you've become... I've never been more proud."

Danny grabbed his mother's hands in his own. He couldn't allow himself to let it end like this. His powers were given to him to help people! His entire purpose was to protect!

"If there's one thing you've taught me, it's that you never leave your family behind." Danny said. "I'm never going to stop fighting to free you, and I swear I'll succeed! and then everything can go back to the way it was!"

Maddie simply looked on with a sad smile. Her baby boy had become so brave, and she'd failed to even realize it. How many times had she sat here in the dark in agony over the failure she'd been as a mother? She would gladly accept this punishment if it meant she would no longer be a threat to her own children.

"My baby boy, all I want is for you to live."

Danny opened his mouth to reply, but found that he could no longer move. He shuddered as a sudden dip in temperature surrounded them, and fought to yell as his mother's face took on a horrified expression.

Maddie was suddenly pulled backwards away from him, and Danny pushed himself to move, to fight, at least to scream in protest.

"That's enough of that." Came the twisted voice of his enemy. "It's time to end this little visit."

 _'No!'_ Danny tried to yell. _'Don't touch her!'_

"Daniel!"

Danny fought with all of his willpower to fight back as Ivix slowly drifted backwards, dragging Maddie along with him. The halfa felt tears gathering in his eyes and shamelessly let them fall.

"Daniel!"

Why? What had he done to deserve this? Hearing his own mother sound as if she had no hope left felt as if someone had ripped a hole straight through his heart.

"Daniel, wake up!"

Danny's eyes snapped open and he shot up into a sitting position, only making his disorientation worse. He looked around in a frantic state, his throat hoarse and sore and his muscle tense.

"Calm down, you're safe!" He heard a voice say.

He turned and finally saw none other than Vlad, kneeling on the bed in his less than formal middle-of-the-night look. His hair was disheveled and loose, his eyes were dull, and he wore expensive looking pajamas in green and gold.

"I, uh- I-" Danny couldn't continue as the pain in his throat became near unbearable. His hand came up to rub at his neck, and he finally realized that he was wearing gloves. A simple glance down told him he had unknowingly changed into ghost form.

"You screamed your throat raw." Vlad supplied. "Brought almost everyone in the manor to the threshold within seconds."

Danny raised an eyebrow, not willing to ask what he wanted out loud.

"I convinced Jasmine and the servants it was a nightmare and came here alone, to find you not only yelling at nothing, but asleep and in ghost form. Now if I'm not mistaken..."

Vlad turned to Danny's nightstand, and the boy tensed. Vlad picked up the small box shaped device on the stand and examined it.

"Switched off...how peculiar." Vlad said, his eyes moving to Danny. The moonlight gave them an almost menacing sheen. Danny shrugged.

"You'd do well to remember that I believe shrugging your shoulders is not an acceptable answer." Vlad said sharply. Danny glared.

"I thought I could sleep without it." Danny said, his throat feeling a tiny bit better, which was most likely his ghost form's doing. He decided then to change forms, letting the white rings travel over his body and reveal Fenton. "Obviously I was wrong."

"Do not take me for a fool, Daniel." Vlad replied, shifting to properly sit beside Danny. "What did Ivix tell you?"

Now confused, Danny's hands clenched to fists and he scowled at the older man. Who did Vlad think he was, anyway?

"It's none of your business, cheesehead!" Danny snapped. "Besides, you've practically given up on fighting him, you haven't even done any investigating since Walker! Admit it, _you just don't love my mom anymore!"_

Vlad's eyes widened horribly and Danny nearly slapped a hand over his mouth, but refrained from doing so. He was too angry, and he wasn't quite satisfied yet, either.

"If you really cared, you'd stop pretending _this,"_ He gestured to himself and room around them. "is the new reality and finally help me save my mom! I'm not your s-"

_"I know!"_

Danny went rigid as Vlad interrupted him. Vlad stared at him, not with anger, not with hate,

But with sadness.

Before Danny could address it, Vlad continued.

"I'm not your father; my name is not Jack Fenton." Vlad said. "But have I not looked after you, given you my time, attention, and knowledge? Trained you to defend yourself and taught you to be the intelligent young man I know you're capable of becoming? I cared for you when you were injured and tried to keep you in line so that you would make good decisions, _I cured your nightmares!"_

Vlad stood. "If that's not what a true father does, I will never know what it means to be a parent."

The man turned over the cube he still held in his hand and turned it on. The warm, red glow began to emit from it and Danny instantly felt Vlad's powerful ectosignature projected into the air. The tension was so thick he almost didn't trust himself to speak as Vlad placed the object onto the younger halfa's nightstand. He kept his gaze downward when he finally spoke.

"Vlad, I-"

"Go to sleep, Daniel." Vlad ordered, his tone still gentle but stern enough to get the message across: 'Don't push it'. But Danny never was a good listener. As Vlad turned to leave Danny phased through the tangled covers and leapt out of the bed.

"Wait!" Danny exclaimed as Vlad walked to the door, actually grateful for once that his bedroom was obnoxiously large and Vlad couldn't escape too easily. "It's not that I'm not grateful for all that stuff, I am! I just want- I don't know- Hey! We're not done here!"

Vlad had reached the door and hadn't so much as glanced at Danny. He finally paused and Danny tried to relax his wound-up muscles.

"Don't ignore me, please." Danny said softly. Vlad looked at him. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Vlad didn't seem to buy it at all, for he simply turned away again and grasped the doorknob. Danny acted quickly- thanking his training for his fast reflexes- and wrapped his arms around one of Vlad's, preventing him from leaving.

"You're not being fair! I _said_ I apologise!" Danny looked up, and Vlad still wasn't giving him a reaction. "Quit giving me the cold shoulder already! You're supposed to be mad, I called you 'cheesehead'!"

"Enough, Daniel." Vlad finally said. He phased out of Danny's hold, but Danny quickly followed suit and regained his grip, digging his heels into the floor. "I said _enough._ You should be thanking your lucky stars I'm leaving you alone instead of making you one sorry little boy for snapping at me!"

Danny's cheeks reddened but he forced himself not to react. He clung to what determination he still had and replied.

"You've been avoiding me since I last saw you, and it's seriously not cool!" Danny defended. "How can you expect me to look up to you when you treat me like I'm a new toy that you don't like anymore?"

"All I've given you is attention!" Vlad snapped back. _"One day_ of something different and you become an insufferable brat? I can't even fathom how you survived this long without me!"

Danny's face grew even more red but this time it was with anger. Vlad was acting almost like his normal villain self. More Plasmius, less Masters.

 _"You're_ insufferable! It's no damn wonder you have no real friends!" Danny cried.

"Oh no, what a wounding insult! However shall I recover?" Vlad hissed sarcastically. He once again freed himself of Danny's hold and this time Danny let him. "I will not be pushed any further, I'm willing to let this continuous disrespect and attitude drop, here and now. I highly suggest you take advantage of that."

"That's just it," Danny replied. "I don't want to take advantage of it! I want you to be normal! I want- Why can't you just- just-!"

Danny couldn't bring himself to finish, his embarrassment was too great. But luckily Vlad finally seemed to realize his dilemma as Danny struggled with his pride and his feelings. Vlad looked at Danny in disbelief.

"You _want_ me to punish you?"

Danny looked up into Vlad's confused royal blue irises. Is that what he wanted?

He felt unbelievably distraught over Vlad ignoring and dismissing him, more than he ever thought he would when it came to the elder. In some twisted way, the young teen suddenly thought that if Vlad cared about all the less-than-kind things Danny had said thus far, he couldn't really be giving up on the younger halfa.

"N-No...!" Danny stuttered, then looked away. _"Maybe..."_

"You are absolutely unbelievable." Vlad sighed. he snatched Danny's wrist and began pulling him towards the bed. "First, you want me to stop treating you like a son, then the opposite, and now, you expect me to put up with your childish need to make everything right."

Vlad sat down on the edge of the bed and Danny finally felt reality hit him. In a sudden attempt to stop what was happening, he choked out a shout of 'Wait!', but was completely ignored.

Vlad didn't give his actions a single thought before pulling but not forcing Danny over his pajama-clad knees. Within seconds Vlad was set to punishing the boy.

Danny had been certain he could handle Vlad earlier but now he felt like turning intangible and flying as far away from the man and his evil hand as physically possible. That seriously hurt!

"Indecisiveness is not a trait I admire nor tolerate." Vlad said. "And you certainly have no business cursing or yelling at me."

Danny whimpered not because of the pain, but because he's never pushed Vlad so hard that he'd begun lecturing him as he dealt with him. He'd seriously messed up.

"I'm sorry!" Danny hissed as convincingly as possible.

"Unfortunately, 'sorry' does not always fix everything." Vlad replied. He'd never felt such hurt as when Daniel had insulted his treatment of the boy. He'd done nothing but cater to his every whim! And then mentioning Maddie...

All he'd ever wished for, since the day they had met, was for Maddie to be his. For years he'd struggled through hard times without the support of the one person who he'd grown to love, yet still he could not get over the genius woman that was Maddie.

Even though he hated Jack Fenton with every fiber of his being, Daniel was born to him and Maddie. If it weren't for this fact, Vlad would have deemed every second in the hospital as they lived on in happiness an utter waste.

But here he was, with the only other person of his kind, born from the woman he loved. Yes, Daniel was cheeky, and stubborn as a mule at times, but he had so much potential. And Vlad fully intended to see Daniel become ten times more powerful than he already was, but in the meantime...

"This attitude of yours ends right now." Vlad said, before delivering the final swats and then resting his hand on Danny's heaving back as the younger tried his best not to cry.

Vlad's intention was never for Danny to break down or beg for forgiveness in times like these. All he cared about was making sure Danny understood that wrong decisions had consequences, and for that reason they were to be avoided.

Vlad waited patiently for Danny to calm down and get up on his own, knowing how truly remorseful he was. When Danny finally did get up, he quickly rubbed at the two watery eyes that looked at Vlad in repentance and stood in front of him awkwardly.

"I believe staying in this room until tomorrow afternoon will give you ample time to reflect on the decisions you made tonight." Vlad said, also standing. Danny shoulders slumped significantly but he nodded regardless.

Danny expected Vlad to simply leave but was surprised when the man turned around and untangled the mess of covers and blankets, turning his bed into something he could actually sleep in. Vlad pulled back the covers and gestured for Danny to get in.

"Into bed with you, and I mean it this time." Vlad said. Not wanting to disappoint Danny scurried under the covers, confused when Vlad didn't leave but instead reached for Danny's desk chair and sat beside the bed.

"I am going to tell you something very important, I need you to listen, and don't interrupt." Vlad said. When Danny nodded, Vlad began. "When your mother made her deal with Ivix she did not just give him power, she gave him a connection to her. Everyone who makes a deal with Deus Ivix enters into a contract in which Ivix is allowed a way to possess them. Mainly, this is established through physical contact. According to the footage from that day, in your mother's case, it was a kiss."

Danny shifted uncomfortably, hating how his thoughts brought him to ponder just how much his mother had to have hated him in order to kiss a ghost.

"Once that connection is made, there is no way out, and no matter what both parties are obligated to complete their end of the deal." Vlad explained. "But the longer the human is in the contract the weaker they become, and since Ivix is not nearly as powerful as he once was, he has fed off of her energy more than necessary. If this continues, there is a chance that she could die."

"But then-!"

"Don't interrupt." Vlad reminded the boy. "This is not an excuse to go heading into danger. I promise I am doing all that I can to find a solution that will save your mother. But so far, killing Ivix himself is our only option."

Vlad ran a hand through Danny's messy hair and sighed. A few months ago Danny would have blasted his head off for doing such a thing, now he barely blinked.

A few months ago, even Vlad would have laughed at the thought that Danny could feel anything other than hate for the billionaire that wanted his father dead. Yet, here they were...

"I won't kill." Danny stated.

"I know." was all Vlad replied.

When Vlad did not elaborate, the two fell into a short silence while Danny thought about the events of earlier in the day, and their connection to the information he now had.

"Is that why you were avoiding me earlier? You didn't want to tell me all this stuff?" Danny asked. Vlad nodded, letting his hand rest on the boy's head for a few moments before pulling away.

"I'm only telling you now so you know how serious it is that you follow the rules and stay out of trouble. This is life or death now." Vlad replied. "That said, I don't want you to dwell too much on this right now. All you are allowed to do at this moment is go to sleep. Peacefully, this time."

Danny watched as Vlad once again made to leave his room and yet again stopped him from leaving. "Vlad?"

The man stopped. Danny closed his eyes and said, "Goodnight."

Vlad turned just enough to see Danny's eyes closed and his body finally relax before letting the smallest of smiles appear on his face.

"Goodnight, little badger." Vlad replied, carefully leaving the room as quietly as possible.

* * *

When morning finally arrived Danny was less than cheerful about having to wake up after sleeping for barely 5 hours. Especially when Godfrey had been the one to wake him and bring him breakfast. The symbolism was not lost on Danny.

With Vlad having kept himself so close during Danny's short time in his home, the man's absence that morning spoke more than a lecture ever could.

A Saturday, of all days, and the ghost hunting teen was stuck inside four walls and nearly bored to death...no pun intended.

While Danny sat in the silence of his room he was almost forced to remember the dark, quiet place in which he'd seen this mother suffering, losing her will to fight little by little as time went on.

It was near impossible not to think about how badly he wanted to make things right again, and be the ghost fighter he was meant to be. Danny was supposed to be a hero, but it seemed that lately he wasn't even close. Days where he wondered if life would ever be normal again were getting more and more frequent as of late.

It was then that Danny decided he couldn't sit back and do nothing any longer. Ivix had held the cards for far too long.

He had to go to the Ghost Zone.

Easier said than done. FentonWorks was a dead no-go, and Vlad's portal was secured with a fruitloop only lock! Danny definitely wasn't able to get through Vlad's security system without getting caught.

But he knew someone who could.

Getting out of bed and grabbing his phone from the nightstand, Danny quickly dialed his best friend's phone number and impatiently waited to be connected.

 _"Yo dude, you ever heard of beauty sleep?"_ Danny heard after a few seconds. He was tempted to tease his friend, but pushed himself to focus on the task at hand.

"Sorry Tuck, it's kind of important." Danny replied. "I need your help."

Hearing Danny's solemn tone the dark-skinned boy sobered up and curiously asked, _"With what exactly?"_

"I need you to hack into a security system." Danny explained. Tucker scoffed arrogantly.

_"Cool."_

"Vlad's security system." Danny elaborated.

_"Not cool!"_

Danny sighed. "I can't keep this up Tucker, I have to at least _try_ to find Ivix."

He could almost hear the indecisiveness in Tucker's voice as he grumbled out a reply. _"We don't even know where to begin to look! Sam's been looking all over for information since you told us the ghost's name, but it becomes a dead zone whenever we get close to something about him."_

Danny ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he stared at the floor, deep in thought. There had to be someone that knew where to find the ghost, Frostbite, or even Clockwork...

But he doubted that Clockwork would help him. The ghost was as passive as one could be, and to intervene unnecessarily would 'upset the timeline'.

"We gotta think of something. There has to be someone who knows where Ivix is!" Danny said.

"I can help with that."

Danny looked up with surprised, wide eyes at the new voice and was confused to see his sister walk in holding an ancient looking book. Danny quickly switched the call to speaker as he replied.

"How would you know where Ivix' lair is?" Danny interrogated. Jazz rolled her eyes and shoved the book into her brother's hand, snatching his phone afterwards.

"It's called investigating. You should try it sometime." She teased. She turned her attention to the phone and said, "But there's no way you guys are getting through that portal with Vlad's security system in place."

 _"That guy's tech isn't just state-of-the-art, the dude's a genius with codes. I don't know if I can do it."_ Tucker admitted.

Danny sat down on his bed, wishing he could be in the same room as his friend. He put all his sincerity into his voice, hoping Tucker could hear it.

"You're the best techno-geek I know, Tuck." Danny said. "And I live with parents that build weapons for a living! If there's anyone that can do this, it's you."

There was a tense moment of quietness that overcame them before Tucker finally responded.

 _"Fine, I'll help. But if we get caught you owe me a burger."_ Said the technology obsessed teen.

"Fair enough." Danny laughed. He opened the cover of the book in his hands, being as careful as he possibly could. The heavy material was so dated he felt as if it would fall apart at any given moment. "So what exactly is this Jazz?"

The redhead set down the phone on the nightstand, making sure it was close enough to pick up their voices, and sat beside Danny.

"I found it in the lab." Jazz said. She hesitated for a moment before looking her brother in the eye and speaking. "Danny...Vlad had been researching Ivix since the beginning. He knew more than he ever let on. This book says that mom will- She'll-!"

"I know." Danny interrupted. "And I'm just as miffed about it as you are, but we have the information now, so let's use it."

Jazz nodded and helped Danny find the correct page they needed. As they searched, Jazz saw the determination in her brother's eyes and felt a small bit of relief at Danny acting somewhat like his old self. Jazz found the paragraph she was looking for at pointed to it.

"Here, it says that the place they locked up Ivix before Walker's Prison was an island in the Ghost Zone." She told them.

 _"That could be anywhere!"_ Tucker complained. _"I'm gonna need more clues than that!"_

Jazz rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to end the call. She flipped the page and started deciphering the older English used in the book.

"Whoa," Jazz whispered, pointing to a picture of a menacing dragon with an amulet at its feet. "Hey Danny, know any dragon ghosts?"

Danny stared at the amulet drawn near the bottom of the page and smirked.

"Actually, I do." He replied.

Jazz told herself she shouldn't be surprised, but couldn't help the small raise of her eyebrows as Danny looked at the dragon with familiarity. She read the paragraph beneath the artwork swiftly.

"It says that the dragon people tried to kill him after finding him on an island that was forbidden to their kingdom." Jazz explained, yet somehow she felt dangerously out of the loop. "The island is only described as 'Evil and chaotic'. I can't find an exact location."

Danny handed the book back to his sister and turned to his cellphone. "Nothing on the internet, Tuck?"

 _"I found plenty of info on our dragon friends, but nada on a scary evil island."_ His friend replied. _"This is more Sam's expertise."_

"Sam probably won't like this idea, but I can get her to come around." Danny said.

 _"Sounds like love to me!"_ Came Tucker's teasing voice through the speaker.

Danny blushed and hung up angrily, running a hand over his face. Jazz forced herself not to laugh but a smirk still appeared on her lips. Danny turned away from her.

"Vlad won't be expecting to see me for a little while longer, but you'll still need to cover for me if I take too long." Danny told her. Jazz stood and nodded, though the boy couldn't see it.

"I can do that." She assured him. Jazz crossed her arms in a contemplative manner. "But Danny, what if Vlad used his ghost sense ability and finds out I'm lying?"

The half ghost rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to think. Vlad didn't often use that ability since he already had ghost servants like Godfrey who could very easily set off a ghost sense, but Danny had heard Vlad on more than one occasion reveal his ability to locate specific ectosignatures.

"Don't think too hard, little brother." Jazz said arrogantly. "I already have a plan!"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."

He watched as Jazz picked up the Projector from his nightstand and flipped it over. Curiously, Danny stepped forward and looked on as Jazz pulled open a small panel and revealed small vials of glowing goop.

"While I was talking to Godfrey in the lab, he mentioned that this thing was powered by Vlad's ecto-energy." Jazz said. She gently pulled out the green vials and handed them to Danny. "In theory, we should be able to use your energy to do the same thing this device was doing with Vlad's."

Danny's eyes lit up with understanding and he smiled. "Jazz, you're a genius!"

"Yeah, I know." She replied as her brother ran to the bathroom to dispose of the contents of the vials. She followed, albeit slower, and asked, "So how do you plan on making your energy into liquid?"

Danny emerged from the bathroom and in a flash of bright light, changed into his ghost form. He looked at the empty vials and thought for a moment before replying.

"If Vlad can do it, it can't be too hard right?" Said Danny. "I just gotta concentrate."

Jazz watched passively as Danny sat down on the bed and focused his attention on one of the vials. He stretched a hesitant, gloved hand over it and within seconds it was glowing with carefully controlled ectoplasmic energy.

Danny tried to focus it into some sort of liquid but as of that moment he'd only ever managed to make ectoblasts and solid objects with his energy. He tried to focus a tiny bit of his energy into the vial, but only succeeded in nearly shattering it.

"This isn't working." Jazz said rather bluntly.

Danny set down the vial with frustration and glared at his sister in annoyance. "Gee, what gave it away?"

Jazz rolled her eyes and once again sat beside him. She picked up the discarded vial and began to explain.

"You have ice energy. Ice that is formed _through_ your energy, to be more exact." She said. "What if you fill this thing with ice, and then melt it with ecto-energy?"

Danny quickly snatched the vial from his sister excitedly, never having attempted such a thing before. He lifted a hand above the container once again, but this time, his hands began to glow blue.

The teen focused his colder powers into the vial and this time it didn't almost break. He was able to freeze ice inside of it successfully! Danny sighed in relief before tensing up again for the hard part.

Jazz watched intently as Danny heated up the beaker with energy and the glass began to accumulate condensation outside of it. Danny melted only a quarter of the way through before heating it up further and melting the rest to H2O.

"You did it!" Jazz exclaimed. She took the glowing, blue vial from Danny and capped it, returning it to the Projector device.

Danny swiped a hand across his damp forehead as he felt sweat begin to build. That was much harder than it looked. But he'd done it, and now Vlad wouldn't know he was gone.

Jazz turned on the box and instead of glowing red, it began to glow blue. Danny shivered and his face scrunched up in a confused expression.

"Is that really what I feel like?" Danny complained. Jazz laughed and handed him the other still-empty vial.

"This just might work, Danny." She told him. "But I'm worried about you going up against that monster."

As Danny concentrated on filling the second container up with ice, he responded.

"I know, but this is the only way I can get our family back. I have to try, Jazz." He sighed. "I promised mom I wouldn't give up, and I'm not going back on my promise."

Jazz rubbed her now cold arms in deep thought as Danny finished up and placed the last beaker into the device.

The last thing she wanted to do was let her brother fly head first into danger, but she didn't exactly have a choice. She knew how much her family's happiness meant to Danny, and how much he was willing to sacrifice in order for that happiness to remain strong.

It was a blessing to have a super heroic brother, but also a curse at the same time. As Danny changed back into Fenton, Jazz looked at him carefully.

"Just be careful, okay?" Jazz said.

Danny nodded, trying to give Jazz as convincing a smile as he could. He wouldn't ever blame her for worrying, just as he would never fault his mother for wanting him to start away and be safe.

But this was what a hero was supposed to do. Danny was fully prepared to put his life on the line to ensure that no one ever had to lose theirs for his sake. Even his family.

"I'll let you call Sam." Jazz said, giving him one last glance before leaving the room.

Danny turned over the cube still in his hand and switched it off. Hiding it under his bed, he grabbed his cellphone once again.

"I'm coming for you, Ivix." He promised.

* * *

_**Next Chapter - In a reckless attempt to save his mother's life, Team Phantom head into the Ghost Zone. Will they make it out alive?** _

* * *

**Thank you all for your support, till next time!**


	21. Playing With Fire

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 21: Playing With Fire**

Danny Phantom flew high above the clouds of Amity Park at full speed, the wind whipping through his wild white hair. He was pushing his top speed, fueled by adrenaline and determination.

His first stop was Sam's. Over the phone, he had explained to her that he needed the goth to use her resourcefulness to help them find more information about the whereabouts of their newest enemy. However, he hadn't yet told her exactly what he planned to do.

Danny had just under an hour before Vlad would come up to his bedroom in the mansion to end Danny's confinement, and after that it was just a matter of hoping and praying that Vlad wouldn't come looking for Danny until he returned from the Ghost Zone.

It had been a while since he'd felt like a rebel, and he'd honestly grown to miss it. Vlad was a no-nonsense cheesehead most of the time, and especially intelligent. Danny could never seem to get away with anything around the older half ghost.

But this time, he had a lot on the line. This plan of theirs had to work, without a hitch. If Danny could manage to pull this off, it meant he could finally go home.

Home. It was something he had taken for granted in the recent years. He'd gotten a newer sense of what his family meant to him and how important a home was when his family and friends were saved by Clockwork not even a year ago. Now, he saw himself getting a better grasp on what 'Good' and 'Evil' truly meant.

Good and evil could not be defined by any one person or their actions alone. Good was not a belief, or a set of morals that the world saw as acceptable, and Evil was not a disease one could have that determined that they would do wrong.

To be a hero, Danny had always thought that he'd had to become the light for everyone in Amity as well as the sword against those that threatened their peace.

Living with Vlad he'd been able to see that not everyone thought that way, and that good and evil was subjective to the person. Vlad believed that he deserved to have his perfect family and that it was within his rights to interfere with the Fenton's lives in order to right the wrong dealt to him.

Danny, likewise, believed that taking down Ivix would restore his family, and thus fix the less than ideal situation surrounding him. He was willing to fight and commit an act of violence in order to restore his peace.

No one person was all good or all evil, there were only those that were more so one than another, in a way that no human or ghost could measure.

As Danny dove through the clouds and towards his destination, he reminded himself of the risk he needed to take and the importance of sticking to this plan of his. If Vlad were to find them out, or worse, something went wrong and Ivix gained the upper hand, it would be disastrous.

Therefore the ghost boy set his expression to one of determination as he turned invisible and intangible and lowered himself to the height of the large houses coming into view around him. Finding the correct one, Danny floated into the dark and Gothic-themed bedroom that belonged to his friend without any difficulty. He dropped onto the large bed cross-legged and patiently waited for Sam to appear.

Talking to the girl on the phone had taken much more time than Danny would have liked, but the explanation was necessary. Sam always had a mind of her own and would never be as easily convinced as Tucker or Jazz. Sam was almost always the first one to call out a bad idea for what it was, much to both the appreciation and annoyance of her two friends.

Danny could hear the girl's footsteps a short distance away with his enhanced ghostly hearing and eagerly watched the door, his head tilted slightly to better catch the sound. Once the rhythmic thumps of combat boots began to slow and get louder, Danny blinked out of sight.

The now invisible boy watched as his friends entered the room and bit his lip to keep himself quiet. Sam looked around with a single raised eyebrow, curiously rubbing the back of her neck.

"Danny...?" She called out, trying to find something her eyes could focus on. Sam caught sight of a weighted sort of shadow on her large bed and pretended not to notice, continuing to look around her bedroom. "He should've been here by now."

Danny waited for Sam to look in his direction before becoming visible once again as suddenly as he could. He grinned at her with a bright smile.

"Boo!"

Sam dramatically placed her hands over her chest and gasped as she'd seen the actresses do in romance movies her parents had forced her to watch. Danny mock pouted when he realized she hadn't even flinched and rose off the bed, arms crossed. Sam laughed and walked over to him.

"You are too predictable, Danny Phantom." She said teasingly. Her brows creased for a moment before she raised her hand to Danny's face and thumbed away a small bead of glowing green blood from Danny's lower lip.

The halfa couldn't keep the tinge of blush from his cheeks. He awkwardly looked away to the far wall and reminded himself that he had a ghost to catch.

"A-Anyway," Said Danny. "Jazz said that the dragon ghosts could hold the answers we need in order to find Ivix. So we need to get to the Ghost Zone as fast as possible."

"About that," Sam said, opening up her closet. She pulled out two pairs of silver boots, both with some serious tech embedded in them. "Tucker came up with this after seeing the blueprints from the Fenton Peeler. Silver's not really my color, but these should get us around the Ghost Zone without you carrying us around."

Danny raised his eyebrows, impressed. He was glad he had such resourceful friends he could count on. It certainly took a bit of stress off of himself. He turned back to the window.

"Sweet," Danny replied. "It seems like this plan might be one of our best yet."

Sam nodded, though Danny didn't see it, and took a step back. She grabbed her purple, spider backpack from her desk and turned to see Danny floating by the window. She knew Danny sometimes preferred to float a few centimeters above the ground whilst in ghost form to appear taller, but she didn't have the heart to tease him about it. Besides, they had bigger things to worry about.

"You know I'll support you no matter what," she said. "But I want to know if you've really thought this out. Not the battles, or finding the ghost's lair, but...what this could do to you and Vlad."

Danny avoided looking Sam in the eyes for a moment, suddenly conscious of the fact that they were similar to his mother's and he could almost never lie when in their presence. Sam's eyes were always bright and inquisitive, but with a layer of kindness and courage that only her friends could see.

"Thanks Sam, but I'm sure that this is what I want." said Danny.

It clearly wasn't enough to satisfy the curiosity surrounding those lavender-colored eyes, but she relented and didn't push the subject any further. This was her friend, and Sam Manson would always support her friends.

She was the strong, passionate one of the group, but in many ways Sam was also a deep-thinker and a good listener. She held out her hand to the boy in front of her unwaveringly.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Danny smirked at her over-the-top confidence. He guided her to the window before hooking one arm around Sam's waist and phasing them both out of the house and into the open air.

Sam loved the sensation of being so weightless, and within the strong arms of her best friend. Danny often expressed his love of flying and she could definitely understand. It was a feeling of freedom that could not be replicated through other means.

Danny was very quick to pick up Tucker and get them all back to Vlad's house, all the while reviewing the plan with his friends and getting into his 'Heroic Headspace' as Jazz liked to call it. His eyebrows were set tight and his mouth curved into a determined frown.

Once in his room Danny was quick to grab the Simulator from its hiding spot and switch it on, once again shuddering at the strange sensation. Sam and Tucker were hiding in the lab, and Jazz was talking to Godfrey, making sure that the older ghost wouldn't venture into the lab or Danny's room before they could get away.

The pieces were all in place, and now it was time for the game to begin.

With a quick glance to the digital clock in his room Danny changed to his human form and hid the Ectosignature Simulator under his mountain of soft pillows. He snatched a random school book from his desk and plopped onto his bed stomach-down. Vlad was expected to arrive any minute.

Danny opened the book to a random page and tried to appear as if he were reading. Soon enough he found his body too tense and his mind too on-edge to focus. He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe. It was a trick Sam had taught him one day when he'd just gotten his powers.

Back then, he got frustrated very often due to his highly unstable ghost powers and crazy new double lifestyle. Most days he would suck it up and do his best, but occasionally, he simply couldn't focus. Much like now.

Those were days where Sam would come over, make him sit down cross-legged (even on the ground if he had to) and close his eyes. It was difficult for Danny to _not_ be on high alert at all times, and being stripped of his ability to see took him right out of his comfort zone.

After he closed his eyes Sam would make him breathe. It didn't have to be big, deep breaths, he just had to focus on his breathing. After a bit of that, he could focus on something else, like Sam's tone of voice, or other sounds around them. Birds chirping outside, the wind blowing around them, even a car passing by. It relaxed him every single time.

Danny could suddenly hear familiar footsteps a short distance from his room but kept himself breathing. He needed to look natural. It needed to seem as if nothing could possibly be wrong.

There was a knock at the door. He didn't take his eyes off the book - though he had yet to even read a single word- and relaxed.

"Yeah?" Danny called out, surprised by how casual he sounded. The door opened.

"If you are actually reading, I believe you have been in here long enough." came the voice of Vlad Masters. Danny looked over somewhat sheepishly.

"Hey, can't a guy read in peace anymore?" he said jokingly. He sat up and looked fully at the billionaire. "If I'm free, I'm gonna go hang out with Jazz. Probably for a while- we've been coming up with some new ideas for my ghost powers. You know, that stuff can take some time, maybe all _day-"_

"As _fascinating_ as that sounds," Vlad interrupted, looking down at his expensive wrist watch, "I have a meeting to attend this afternoon and may not be back in time for dinner. I could try my best to make it-"

"No!" It was Danny who interrupted this time. "Don't worry about us at all! Just go ahead and pretend we're not even here. Work stuff needs concentration, so take all the time you need!"

Vlad raised an eyebrow at him curiously. He adjusted his tie- one of the nicer ones he wore on his work days- and cleared his throat.

"Yes well, I ask that I may come back to my house still standing, and preferably with both of you safely within it. Though I suppose that for you, that might be too much to ask. Until then," Vlad made his way to the door as he spoke but paused as he grasped the doorknob. "you might want to turn over that book, it will be easier to read that way."

As the door closed behind Vlad Danny's eyes shot to the book below him and he smacked a palm over his forehead. The book was indeed upside-down. Flipping it to face him correctly, he could now clearly see it was a poetry book and that Vlad probably knew from the start something was up.

Danny shook his head roughly. No, he couldn't afford to think like that now. Tucker was supposed to get into Vlad's systems and have everything ready to go by now, he needed to set this plan into motion.

It was time to go into the Ghost Zone.

With one final check to make sure the device hidden under his pillows was indeed working, Danny changed into his ghost form. He poked an intangible head out into the hall and waited, listening for Vlad's footsteps to fade out of earshot. Once the man was far enough away Danny shot through the floorboards and down to the lower levels of the house, through multiple empty rooms and halls till he finally reached the lab.

Sam and Tucker were both watching the screen of the dark-skinned boy's PDA when Danny entered the room. Only Sam looked up.

"Tucker's just about done here...I think." Sam told him, raising an eyebrow at the technological coding before her.

Danny could tell Tucker had been working hard by the other boy's concentration on his screen and the way he glanced at the monitors every so often, making sure he didn't set off any alarms.

"Great. Vlad's leaving the house, so we've got to take this chance while we've got it." Danny replied. Tucker let out a long breath.

"This was way harder than hacking into Skulker's upgraded armor," Tucker said, sounding impressed. "But I think I've got it. There's a copycat system in place now, so we should have no problems getting in and out through V-man's portal."

Tucker had pulled an all-nighter to get his program absolutely perfect. He considered it a great challenge to take on Vlad's tech and was willing to put his whole heart into it. For his friends, he would do just about anything.

"Bad news is," Tucker continued. "this thing won't last forever. Vlad's security is already trying to break through and destroy my own. I'd say we have about 12 hours at best before that happens."

Danny's lips tightened into a straight line. He nodded, though neither Tucker nor Sam could see it as they were tugging on their new boots. They joined together in front of the portal and Tucker held out his PDA.

"Ready?" Tucker asked them. Without waiting, Tucker pressed a button and the lock on the portal obediently opened.

Danny squared his shoulders and headed inside first, followed by Sam and last, Tucker.

"Dora will help us if we can explain to her what's going on," Sam said. "we should hurry to the dragon ghosts' domain ASAP."

With that said, the trio moved out, flying as fast as the boots would allow. A speed a tad faster than the Spectre Speeder could go.

Every now and then, the three friends would be forced to hide as a ghostly enemy flew by, or in the case of the Box Ghost, they plowed right through and never looked back.

It all seemed like smooth sailing as Danny, Sam and Tucker sped through the Ghost Dimension with little trouble, and as the kingdom under the dragon's reign came into view, it all seemed too perfect.

In the Ghost Zone, perfect almost didn't exist.

Danny let out a sudden cry of surprise and Sam and Tucker whipped their heads around to see the ghost boy engulfed in a glowing blue net, struggling to stay airborne.

"I thought it was you," came a robotic, animalistic voice. "Come to give me your pelt, child?"

Sam acted quickly, turning to Skulker and firing at him with her Wrist Ray. The ghost moved fast, dodging her attacks with ease whilst gaining speed and flying towards them.

Tucker managed to free Danny in time for the halfa to throw up a shield around them seconds before Skulker reached them.

The hunter ghost flew into the green shield with a satisfying _'Clang!'_ and growled, disoriented but recovering quickly.

Skulker produced a glowing blade from his arm and sliced down the barrier, forcing a grunt out of Danny as he could no longer hold his shield against the pressure.

Just as the green shield dissipated Tucker and Sam opened fire on Skulker continuously. Unable to dodge them both, Skulker turned intangible and dove through the air, coming to a stop in front of Danny.

"I do _not,"_ Danny groaned. "have time for this!"

Danny shot an ectoblast at Skulker, not waiting for the ghost to be struck before rushing forward, as if chasing the ball of green light, and slamming a fist into the metal ghost's chest at the same time that his ectoblast hit Skulker's left arm.

The hunter roared with anger. He swung a hand down and gripped Danny's arm tightly. A red glow emitted from his metal glove, and Danny suddenly felt the sickeningly familiar sensation of being electrocuted.

Sam flinched at Danny's scream and tackled Skulker, throwing him off of her friend. Tucker grabbed his Fenton Thermos and aimed it at the two.

"Sam, watch out!" Tucker tried to warn her. Skulker was up too soon however, and Sam was quickly overpowered and held with her arms behind her back.

Danny shot a blast of cold ice at Skulker's back, barely having caught his breath. He froze what he could reach of his enemy's control panel, and prevented him from hurting Sam any further.

"Let her go Skulker!" Danny demanded. His energy wasn't even close to being drained, yet he felt as if he'd been fighting for hours. The tingling feeling of aftershock from electricity was sending him back to a time he'd much like to forget.

Physically, Danny was fine. Mentally, he was just short of a trainwreck.

"Please," Skulker growled, snapping Danny back to the present. "What are a couple of little brats like you going to do?"

"Kick your metal butt, that's what!" Tucker shouted.

Skulker laughed and his metal body glowed with that same red glow. The ice encasing his back melted off in waves within mere seconds. He looked at Tucker mockingly.

"You and what army?"

Danny saw a shadow being cast over them in a quick movement, and his eyes shot up to the swirling green above their heads.

There, diving towards them, was a huge dragon. Its body was a dark blue and its mouth opened wide to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

Skulker seemed to panic and pushed Sam away from him, angling his right arm to aim at the beast. The arm transformed into a bazooka and Danny acted as quickly as he could, firing and destroying the weapon before the dragon could be hurt.

The dragon grabbed Skulker in its long, black claws and roared, throwing the ghost upwards before smacking him away like a baseball with its thick, spiked tail. Skulker flailed, soaring through the air faster than Danny's eyes could follow.

Tucker put his Thermos away, figuring they could spare the ghost since they were already in the Ghost Zone. Besides, it didn't look like the hunter would be coming back anytime soon.

"Wow..." Sam commented to the dragon. "Uh, thanks for saving us?"

The dragon lowered its massive head and looked at Sam, Tucker and Danny in turn. The teens remained silent in fear that the dragon might find them a threat. Once the dragon's bright yellow eyes settled on Danny however, the dragon seemed to relax.

_"Follow."_

The dragon huffed and started to fly off in the direction of the large domain of dragons. Surprised to hear it speak, the three teenagers looked at each other briefly before shrugging and flying off, pushing high speeds to keep up with the ghost.

The beast led the trio high above the kingdom Danny almost couldn't recognize from the first time he'd seen it. Dora had become the queen after her brother was defeated by Danny and her rise to power brought a new and peaceful age to the dragons who'd previously been trapped in the Dark Ages.

Once they reached the castle Danny felt like a small bit of weight had been taken from his shoulders. He could finally get help from someone he truly considered an ally.

Everything in the throne room was huge, clearly meant to hold dragons rather than human kids. The dragon guards inside the room were told to contact the queen and the hurried off, giving Danny the sense that the dragon that had saved them was not just a scout or a guard.

"Why did you save us?" Danny decided to ask as they were waiting. The dragon did not look at him, but instead kept its eyes fixed on the far wall, uninterested.

 _"I protect those Her Majesty deems precious."_ Said the dragon. Sam's eyes widened a fraction.

"So you do know who we are!" She said. "You must be like a personal guard of Dora's, right?"

"I'd trust him with my life if it came to it!"

All four turned to the woman in question who was walking into the room in human form. Her clothes had gotten the royal touch since they'd last seen her and Dora had made her appearance a bit older to better reflect her real age. She truly seemed like royalty now.

"We are so glad to see you," Tucker breathed. "you have no idea how intimidating this guy is."

Dora laughed and approached the group with a smile on her face.

"Thank you for helping my friends, Virgil," Dora told her guard. "I'll take it from here."

With that, the dragon now known as Virgil departed and finally the teens could relate their plight to their friend.

"Sadly Dora, we're not here for a friendly visit." Said Danny. Dora gave him her full attention. "We really need your help."

"Well, my kingdom and I are always open to you, Danny." Dora responded. She had a quick look around before motioning to the door she had recently come out of. "Let us go somewhere private and talk about it."

The kids agreeingly followed after the royal through the many twists and turns of the castle, amazed at how the halls and rooms also became human sized as Dora led them along.

She guided her visitors to a less busy corridor and into a room much like a study that Danny would see in Vlad's mansion. Everything was expensive looking and perfectly placed, and the only thing that showed use was the desk located in the back middle of the room.

"What is it that has brought you here, Danny and friends?" Dora asked, beckoning for her guests to sit on the chairs in front of the desk.

"We need info on a location we think you might know something about." Said Tucker, pulling out his PDA to take notes.

"It's about a ghost named Deus Ivix." Danny clarified. "He's got someone really important to me under his spell and we need to find him as soon as possible."

Dora was silent for a moment, her expression turning to one of contemplation and focus. She looked at Danny with a gentle sternness in her eyes.

"This is a serious problem," She conceded. "Ivix does indeed have a history with my people, and we monitor his Isle constantly. I knew he had escaped from his prison long before even the warden ghost was made aware. _This_ is how connected he and his domain truly are."

Dora kept eye contact with Danny, her body language that of a concerned friend or parent.

"To go to his part of our realm, to fight on his _'turf'_...it would be nothing short of suicide."

Danny jerked to respond heatedly but a slim hand on his arm stopped him. Sam gave him a chilling look and once again met Dora's gaze.

"We have a lot at stake here, Dora," She replied for the group. "And if it were either of us here in that position, we would want the same done for us."

Dora once again took her time to digest the words said to her. She truly wanted to help her friends, but the truth was, she couldn't allow them access to the evil ghost's domain.

She was not joking when calling the idea suicidal. She knew of only one person who had survived a battle on Ivix' Isle, and she wasn't willing for the children before her to entertain such a person. Besides, she had much to do today, and couldn't spare the time to give the teenagers details on such a gruesome event.

"I truly wish I could help you, but I am losing valuable time as it is. If this had been another day, perhaps I could have-"

The door opened, interrupting the Queen's apologies. In came a dainty servant girl holding an envelope. She curtsied quickly to Team Phantom before turning her attention to Dora.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I come bearing bad news." the girl said. Dora frowned.

"What is it, Fiora?"

The servant handed the woman her letter and stepped back a bit.

"The guest of honor for the celebration this evening will not be able to attend," Fiora explained. She then looked to her queen with uncertainty. "What should we do?"

Tucker, as usual, perked up at the thought of a celebration taking place. More specifically, the thought of food at such at event.

"You guys are having a party?" Asked the techno-geek.

"We were," Dora clarified. "however I am unsure of how to proceed now. This event was to celebrate the liberation of my people since my brother's defeat. I had planned to call on our top guard to be the Guest of Honor, so he could be rewarded for keeping Aragon away in the dungeons, but it seems he's too concerned with Ivix's return and cannot make it..."

"If I may, ma'am," Fiora interjected gently. "are not Sir Phantom and his companions a perfect fit to replace your chosen guest?"

Dora's previously creased eyebrows raised in realization. It was too late into the preparations for the event to cancel it now, not to mention that to do so would be a massive let-down for her subjects.

"I think we can make a deal here." Sam commented. Danny and Tucker both nodded in agreement.

Dora sighed. If it were any other event she would have turned down such a proposition immediately. It seemed fate was on the side of Team Phantom however, so, help them she would.

"Although it is against my better judgement, I will agree to tell you what you wish to know about that ghost, but you must attend the event as my honored guests first." Dora proposed. Danny stood quickly and held out his gloved right hand.

"You got a deal!"

Dora shook the boy's hand then gestured to her servant.

"Fiora will lead you to your room, Danny. There you can wait for the celebration to begin. It is in exactly one hour from now." Dora told him.

She ushered the teens out of the room swiftly and hurried off to put the final details for that evening into place.

Meanwhile, Danny, Sam and Tucker followed the servant Fiora up a grand flight of marble stairs to a room which rivaled the size of Danny's room in the Masters' mansion.

For starters, everything but the stone walls was white and black. The rugs were black, the bedsheets were white. The curtains were black, but the wardrobe was white. On and on it went in this fashion, and as Danny stepped into it he almost seemed like a decoration himself.

"You can rest safely here, and for anything that you might need you may call to the guards posted outside to fetch me. I will return to retrieve you in an hour." With this said Fiora left the trio to their own devices.

"So, how long have you had your _own room_ in the Dragon Kingdom's castle?" Sam questioned, gesturing dramatically to the space around them. It truly was a sight to behold. Danny winced at her tone and plopped down onto the huge white bed.

"Dora insisted on it after I started visiting her more often here," Danny replied after a moment. "And before you ask, I didn't have the heart to critique the decor."

Satisfied, Sam sat beside Danny, fiddling with her Wrist Ray. Tucker took a seat from a white desk near the far wall and sat in front of them.

"We can't afford to spend too much time at this party." Said the human boy. "But I guess at this point we don't really have a choice."

Sam quirked an eyebrow upwards. "You're just excited to get snacks."

Tucker grinned but kept silent. Danny wished he could indulge in the friendly banter between his friends but he couldn't bring himself to feel happy in such a situation. As immature as it might be, Danny was having a hard time seeing the bright side of the circumstances around them.

He wasn't like Tucker, who was easily distracted, and a goofball at most times. But he wasn't quite like Sam either, with her constant drive to promote her beliefs and her neverending confidence. He was just... _Danny._  
  
If Vlad could hear him Danny had no doubt the man would have laughed and said that Danny was exceptional, a thought that almost made his mood even worse. Vlad was only a fraction of his worries right now, but somehow he'd been brought to the forefront of his mind.

What if Vlad didn't forgive him after Danny returned? What if Vlad caught them before they could complete their goal tonight? What would Danny do if Vlad ended their alliance?

Danny tossed his head about, forcing the pessimistic thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time to worry. He had to be strong.

"Dude, are you okay?" Tucker said, a bit louder than he normally would. Danny's head jerked up.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry guys, I'm just a little distracted." Danny said, telling the truth but unwilling to go into detail. No doubt his friends would have a hard time understanding his crazy train of thought anyway.

"You know you can tell us if something's wrong, right?" Sam asked.

"I know, don't worry Sam."

"If you say so..."

The conversation switched to their previous battles with ghostly enemies, and how they'd used different tactics to take on different levels of ghosts. But even speaking hypothetically, a plan of attack was hard to apply to an enemy they'd never fought head on before.

"If Dora doesn't agree to help us, we'd be running into this fight blind." Tucker sighed. The last twenty minutes of discussion and planning still had yet to produce a non-fatal result.

"We'll figure it out, Tuck." Danny assured his friend. "And if we can't overpower him, you guys have to promise me you'll run."

"Yeah, _right."_ Sam rolled her eyes. As if she'd be willing to do that!

"You're kinda stuck with us man." Added Tucker.

Deciding to leave it at that, Danny did not reply. Since gaining his powers, he'd been in situations where 'do or die' decisions had to be made constantly. He wasn't afraid to die if it meant those closest to him could live.

Turns out he wasn't alone on that thought.

Silence enveloped the group as the weight of their predicament settled on their shoulders. They were kids. Extraordinary, courageous, and intelligent kids, but still kids nonetheless.

They should have been worrying about homework, finding their own style, and pining over romantic interests. But life had dealt Team Phantom a different set of cards. A cruel one.

After ten slow minutes, a knock on the door startled the teens. So much so that Tucker nearly dropped his PDA.

"My apologies for the disturbance!" Came the voice of Dora's servant girl as the door opened and she stepped quietly inside. "Her Majesty has instructed me to give you all a gift."

Tucker was on his feet in an instant. Indeed, Fiora held an old-fashioned box in her hands. It was about the size of a sandwich box, small but decorated with precious jewels. Fiora turned the box around and opened it, first pulling out a pin.

It was round and bright neon green, almost glittering yellow in the light. On it was a swirl of white making the pin resemble somewhat of a target. Fiora held out the object to Tucker.

"This is a symbol of protection," Began Fiora. "it has the ability to create a shield around the wearer. The queen specifically wanted you to have this."

Tucker inspected the pin for a moment before making the decision to attach it the his beret. He beamed at the new addition to his outfit. A second later, his eyebrows creased in hesitation.

"So...how do I use it?"

Fiora giggled. "Unfortunately, it is Her Majesty's wish for you all to learn how to utilize these on your own."

Tucker's shoulders drooped significantly but he refrained from complaining. Perhaps this meant Dora planned to help them on their mission.

Next Fiora pulled two bracelets from her box. Both were black, but contained a swirl of toxic green wrapping around them similar to Tucker's pin. She handed them to Sam with a bow of her head.

"Her Majesty thought this color scheme matched you best." Said the servant. "They display the symbol of Bravery, and will allow you to turn invisible."

Sam gaped at the gift, her smile wide.

"Sweet!"

Lastly, Fiora retrieved what Danny thought looked like another pin, only much smaller. Fiora closed the box and set it aside, approaching Danny.

"This is the symbol of Hope. It should suit you quite nicely." She said. Fiora suddenly moved very quickly, gently pushing away Danny's unruly hair from his left ear.

"Whoa, what- _ow!"_

The ghost boy felt a sharp pinch on his ear and flinched, jerking back and away from the woman. He reached up to rub the sensation away, only to find the accessory directly in the center of his earlobe as well as secured in the back. That lady moved fast.

"What was that for?!"

Fiora smiled innocently, holding up her hands in peace. Sam whistled at the new look, admiring the slight change. She noticed the earring was white, nearly blending in with his hair except for the black swirl of ink that matched the others' designs. Sam nodded.

"I approve," Said the goth contentedly. "But what's it do?"

"It is somewhat of a 'power-up'," replied Fiora. "It will greatly enhance the power of your abilities. Use it wisely."

Danny simply pouted in response, raising a glowing blue hand to his abused ear. The cold helped tremendously. Fiora once again looked on innocently.

"You have five minutes to be downstairs, the guests have already begun to arrive and you are to be introduced as our honored guests very soon." Fiora instructed. "Follow me, please!"

Danny and his friends hurried after her obediently, each fiddling with their new costume additions.

"Why do I feel like I'm walking into a trap?" Danny muttered, receiving a scolding jab in the side from Sam. Luckily, Fiora didn't seem to hear.

"This celebration shall be like no other, an event with the most noble of our kingdom!" Fiora gushed, leading the trio to a pair of large, ornate double doors. She moved behind them and with one final pat on Danny's back she said:

"Enjoy yourselves, this will be a night to remember!"

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Right at the start of the Dragon Kingdom's Event, Danny and Sam's friendship is tested.** _

* * *

 


	22. At Sunset

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 22 : At Sunset**

Walking into the grand ballroom of the castle was like entering a wholly different world. The room was brightly lit with fiery torches and candlelit chandeliers. To one side there was a huge table running along the far wall completely filled with cakes, custards, children's sweets, anything you could possibly imagine.

The ceiling rose high above their heads, forming a spiral extending outwards with many marble carvings of dragons along each twist to the top.

Though such a room was big enough to house a few dragons without issue, everyone in the ballroom was in human form. They were all dressed up in frilly, medieval dresses or expensively adorned suits of clothes the modern day teenagers had only seen in their history books. The women and their powdered faces led along children with their noses high in the air and husbands who chattered with friends about the lives they led and the titles they had.

As Danny, Sam and Tucker were ushered in, leaving the overwhelmed Fiora behind, they had little time to take in the wondrous setting and were hustled over to Dora by a nearby guard.

She was also beautifully dressed with a flowy white ensemble with long sleeves that nearly reached the floor, all decorated with stones that reflected every glint of the fires lit around the room. Sam would have wished it to be black, but she awed all the same.

"Good evening, children!" said Dora with excitement. Her dress caught the light as she closed the gap between them and smiled warmly. "Now that you are here, we can begin!"

Dora led the trip to a small raised stage in the middle back of the room. On either side were guards dressed in the same pristine white as the queen herself, standing straight and at the ready for anything.

There were also a couple of well-dressed women who ushered the youngest to the side as Dora mounted the stage. They fussed with Danny's untamed white locks, blotted at Sam's dark lipstick, and tried (and failed) to hassle Tucker's beret from his head. Not ten seconds passed and with the ring of a small bell Dora was speaking. Each person turned and gave her their full attention.

"With the end of my brother's tyranny, my people can now feel safe in their own homes. Peace has been restored, and we have our special guests to thank." She turned to the children still being hassled by the prep team. "Please join me in welcoming Danny Phantom and his friends, Sam and Tucker!"

The three teens were shoved forward by their attendees and the room lit up with bright golden light. With a start the children realized the people had lit their hands with fire as they applauded, seeming calm and indifferent to such a feat. Tucker's jaw dropped and Danny's eyes widened. Sam nudged them, her signal to 'act cool', and the two straightened up to match Dora's posture.

Music began to play and the crowd dispersed, some to the snacks, some to the dance floor, and some to mingle amongst themselves.

Danny, Sam and Tucker breathed a sigh of relief. It was only the beginning of the evening, but all seemed to be going well.

The only concern in Danny's mind was that at any minute, he would get caught by Vlad and not only would he be toast but Sam and Tucker would as well. He was used to being responsible for others' well-being, but it still caused nervous butterflies to flutter about in his stomach.

Dora was quickly preoccupied with mingling among her guests and Tucker was eager to drag his clueless friends towards the snack table. Having no better ideas, Sam and Danny did not object.

There was a small huddle of girls at the table, whispering amongst themselves and glancing at the two boys. Sam rolled her eyes, glad that her friends were oblivious geeks, and stood between the two groups.

Unaware of the awkwardness around him, Danny continued to stress internally about Vlad. Mostly about why he cared in the first place. He bit into a glowing red cupcake and frowned.

_'It shouldn't matter what the fruitloop thinks. I'm doing the right thing. I'm saving my mom.'_

He told himself this over and over, watching Tucker devour cookies with a blank stare. Suddenly, he felt a soft tap on his shoulder.

"Sir Phantom? Are you alright?"

Danny turned quickly, his reflexes forcing him to move in a tight, quick spin. He let out a breath at finding not a threat, but one of the many girls around them standing before him. This girl had golden brown hair and orange eyes, and her dress was lavender with the same long sleeves that Danny had seen on Dora's dress.

He pushed down his fight or flight instinct and smiled as gently as he could, mimicking the other gentlemen around them. This wasn't Vlad, it was just a girl. _Just a girl._

"Yeah, thanks." Danny said with a nod. "It's just Danny, by the way."

She giggled as if Danny had just done something hilarious, and the boy shifted nervously, afraid he'd somehow embarrassed himself. Meanwhile, the sound attracted the attention of Sam, who was very annoyed at the sight.

She tensed and looked on as a girl in purple conversed with a shy-looking Danny. How did she miss the girl walking over? Sam muttered under her breath about 'stupid ghost powers' and made to move towards them when yet another girl in red appeared before her, seemingly out of nowhere. She beat her to Danny as well.

"Sir Phantom! How do you like the dragon cake? Is it to your liking?" this new girl asked, pulling the halfa's attention from the brown haired girl.

Danny, continually oblivious to the slowly growing number of teenage girls, shrugged at the sweet in his hand.

"It's good, I guess."

The girls once again seemed to find his reaction funny and giggled behind their fingers. The size of the group had doubled and now the girls had begun to hand him food to try.

Sam glowered darkly at the scene before her, unnerved by the audacity of the dragon girls. She quickly walked to where Tucker was stuffing his face and grabbed hold of his collar, jerking him over to survey the mob.

"Do something!" Sam ordered, enraged. Tucker shrugged.

"Hey, 's not my crush, go save your Juliet yourself, Romeo."

Of course, Tucker wasn't exactly okay with his best friend being surrounded by girls without him, but he figured this was a problem best solved by the lovebirds themselves. Window of opportunity and all that.

Sam opened her mouth to argue and Tucker quickly pushed her cheek so that she faced Danny. He was being pulled by the arm towards the circle of dancing couples, girls laughing around him.

"Might want to act fast, Prince Charming."

Sam didn't even bother to reply. She stomped over to the group and called Danny's name. She was blocked by a wall of sparkling dresses and outrageous colors as she fought to get her friend's attention.

"Danny!"

After Sam stormed off to the quickly growing group, a short, pale teenaged boy walked up to Tucker, his eyes on Danny. He snatched a cookie and shoved a piece in his mouth.

"Who does that guy think he is, hogging all the girls to himself?" said the youth with a huff. Tucker leaned against the table with crossed arms.

"Welcome to my world, dude."

After she'd called Danny, Sam was able to see the boy's head turn in her direction but he was clearly lost as to her location. She reluctantly watched as he was led to the dance floor by a girl in white and blue. She was pretty, Sam could admit, with ash-white hair and bright eyes. She could easily be prettier than Paulina.

A heavy weight settled in her chest as she looked down at her combat boots and crop top. Would a guy be embarrassed to dance with someone like her?

Danny took the girl's hands and hesitantly began to lead her into a simple dance. Sam remembered dancing with Danny after Paulina had been possessed, and of how she had felt like she'd won the world after that one small moment. She wondered now if such a feeling was just naive.

The girls lined up and Sam was outwardly disgusted by how vain the girls appeared to be. Shells of their real personalities, driven by selfish teenage desires.

On the inside, she knew that although it would please her parents, and she might get more attention from boys, She could never look like that.

She could never be _like them._

With a sigh, Sam saw an exit to the gardens on the far side of the room and ducked towards it, unaware of the sad glance she received from Tucker at the dessert table.

Danny was swept up in the push and pulls of the dozen or more teenaged girls around him. Why did he have to mention he had only danced once? He had a line from right in front of him to the back of the room of girls ready to dance with him and Danny was tired just looking at it. But this girl in a white and blue dress had gotten him cornered, and she was determined to get his attention.

"For someone who hasn't had much dancing experience, you carry yourself very well, Sir Danny." she said, her voice high and dignified. Danny guessed she was of important heritage, by the glittering diamonds about her person and the height of her nose in the air. He'd seen enough popular kids at Casper High to know a Queen Bee when he saw one.

"Thanks, but it's just Danny." he mumbled, hoping he'd scare her away with bad manners. He didn't dare step on her foot though, her shoes looked more expensive than his life's worth.

"My name is Cecile. my father is a close advisor to her Majesty." she explained, casually swaying with the music as if she'd been dancing all her life while Danny struggled to maintain the lead.

Just three minutes. He could last that long. Three short minutes and the song would end. Then, he'd ditch the girls and find Tucker and Sam. Speaking of Sam...

Danny looked over Cecile's shoulder and caught her watching them with a distant look on her face. Danny frowned and almost moved towards her when he was brought back to reality by the dragon girl's voice.

"That girl is your friend, yes?"

Danny looked back at Cecile and tried to determine how long he had left. Had it been a minute already? Thirty seconds?

"Y-yeah, that's Sam." he replied, looking over again. This time, he caught Sam walking away, her head lowered. She was headed towards the gardens. Danny's eyebrows creased in concern.

"You're in love with her?" Cecile prompted.

"Wh-what?!"

Cecile moved closer to him, her chest nearly touching his. She looked up at him through her long, black lashes and smirked.

"She's not all that pretty, I can see why you haven't made a move," she said bluntly. "Or perhaps your just not her type?"

Danny stared at the girl's eyes in stunned thought. Did Sam _have_ a type? He guessed it would be a dark, mysterious goth guy, or a tall, handsome lover of poetry and punk rock music. Maybe both.

But Danny wasn't any of those things. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't at all like the dreamy vampire-esque men on the covers of Sam's gothic fashion magazines. He was just...Danny. A clueless teenager with all the grace of a newborn colt.

"Don't get too worked up over it," said Cecile sympathetically. "Besides, who cares what a nobody like her thinks? You've got dozens of girls right here."

The song ended, and Danny breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he'd been freed from a spell.

"I gotta go." He said, trying to pull away. Cecile frowned and gripped his arm tight.

"Are we not good enough for you? You think she's better than us?" she taunted, settling herself between him and the direction of the doors. Danny winced.

"No! I-I don't think that, I just..."

"I get it," Cecile interrupted. "Our dear Sir Phantom hasn't the time for us, right? We're just ghosts, after all."

Danny cringed as the girl's grip tightened, and with a glance at the others in line he realized that they too were getting agitated. If he didn't do something soon, he was a dead man. The musicians were getting ready to begin the next song, he had to act fast.

"I'm really flattered that you guys like me so much, really, I am." Danny promised. "But Sam's my friend, I have to go see if she's okay."

"Indeed he does."

Both teens looked beside them curiously. Dora smiled graciously at them and put a calming hand on Cecile's shoulder.

"The night is young, and so are you two. There will be plenty of time for fun later," Dora turned all of her attention to Danny. "attend to your friend, Daniel."

Danny bristled at the use of his full name, though he didn't dare comment. Cecile released his arm and he gratefully stepped away. Dora did not look happy and Danny felt as if he were the only one missing something; a feeling he was slowly and painfully getting used to.

In exiting the ballroom into the gardens Danny sighed a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. The quiet hedges creating a circle about the warm, green grass was a comforting change from the artificial chatter inside. The swirling, neon atmosphere of the Ghost Zone twisted above, circling and twisting in its usual untamed manner as Danny walked towards the center of the garden, passing unidentified flowers and glowing plants.

There were stone benches lining a silently flowing fountain in the center of the large yard, and it was here that Danny finally caught sight of the short, dark hair of his friend seated at the furthest bench, barely visible.

He didn't say anything at first, deciding to float over to her and drop softly onto the bench beside her. Sam didn't acknowledge him, her eyes glued to the gentle streams of water flowing over the tall fountain.

She sighed, a soft, saddening noise and leaned back. Her arms crossed in ire.

"Done playing with your harem?" she said, though not as harshly as she had meant to. It was noticeably hard to snap or shout in the deafeningly quiet space of the castle's gardens.

"Huh?"

Sam's eyes finally moved, though it was to roll them around before finally landing on Danny's clueless, green eyes. She'd always liked the childish green irises that appeared in his ghost form, large and curious and toxic. But now, they only succeeded in making her more frustrated. Danny tried again.

"I'm sorry Sam, I-I don't know what I did but I didn't mean to make you mad..."

Sam huffed and reached up a hand to her friend. Danny forced himself to stay still as warning bells sounded off in his head.

_'Let her hit me, I probably deserve it.'_

But Sam just brushed away the white locks from his cheek and traced her finger around the circular jewel adorning his ear. Danny relaxed, continuing to hold still and let her touch him.

He'd forgotten the earring was even there. It didn't hurt at all after the first five minutes and he could thank his ghost form for that. Danny recalled Sam's verbal approval of the new addition earlier and felt slightly better. Maybe he wasn't Sam's ideal type, but she was still his friend, she had to like him at least a little.

"I'm not mad at you, Danny," Sam said at last, "I'm mad at myself."

Danny raised a baffled eyebrow in question. Before he could reply, Sam shook her head.

She didn't want Danny to run after her like she was a damsel in distress. And it certainly wasn't her nature to be dependent on anyone. But Sam knew just how much Danny cared about her and Tucker and she couldn't bring herself to push him away. Just having Danny near her was enough to make her feel secure.

In a way, they both needed eachother.

"I know you're worried about Vlad," Sam said, changing the subject with a long, calming breath. "Wanna talk about it?"

Sam pulled away and faced Danny fully. The young girl was content to squash the feelings inside of her for now. She could be patient. She had waited this long.

"There's not much to tell," Danny muttered. "I don't have a choice anymore. I can't let myself get distracted by what Vlad might think or do."

"But you still worry."

Danny's head dropped a bit and he looked towards the ground. Maybe he was being paranoid, or a worrywart, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Vlad would be disappointed in him right now. That thought alone put Danny in a defensive mood.

He wasn't supposed to care what his enemy thought about him. He was the hero, the good guy, the defender.

Yet lately, he felt as if he was just a teenager. Everything seemed to be out of his control as of late, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

Not this. He would save his mother. Maybe he couldn't get the best grades or be very confident or have a normal life, but he could protect people. It was his responsibility.

"I gotta do this, Sam. I have to try." Danny said, more enthusiastically. "If I can't save her, what kind of hero am I?"

Sam smiled, admiring the passion Danny could display occasionally. It was one of her favorite things about him.

"You'll never stop being a hero, Danny." Sam replied. "But you don't always have to push your own interests to the back burner. It's okay to want to remain allies with Vlad."

Danny ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot lately." He frowned. "It's harder than it seems. I have parents, and they love me. How can I not feel like I've betrayed them both by having Vlad as a replacement?"

"No one can replace your parents, trust me, they're pretty _'unique'!"_ Sam chuckled. "But really, life just isn't that simple. Take my grandma for example. We're close, and she's awesome at being a total rebel. I love her to death...but she could never replace my mom. You gotta stop thinking in black and white, it'll only hold you back."

Danny took a moment to digest his friend's advice. To look past Vlad's evil actions and plots for the sake of his mother's life was one thing.

Forgiving Vlad for all the trouble he'd caused, moving on and becoming real allies...that was a different matter entirely.

"You deserve to be happy, Danny. At least try?" Sam said after Danny failed to reply. He looked back up at her and managed to nod.

He could worry about Vlad later. Now, he had a ghost huntress to rescue.

"How is it that you guys always find the most cliché places to make out?"

Sam and Danny bristled and jumped away from eachother, their faces red. Tucker laughed at the reaction, stuffing a biscuit into his mouth. Sam scowled and Danny panicked.

"We weren't making out!" the two defended in unison, only succeeding in making the tech-loving teen smirk.

"Sure, whatever you say."

Danny sighed in annoyance, standing from the bench and brushing invisible dust from his jumpsuit. They had been out in the gardens for longer than he had thought, judging by the dimmed light inside the castle and soft music replacing the lively scores of earlier songs. Danny offered a gloved hand to Sam, who took it and stood up as well. Tucker raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"We need to find Dora. We don't have all day to waste at this party." said Sam. Danny nodded, and Tucker gleefully let them back inside.

"You think she's by the dessert table?" Tucker asked, already heading in that direction. Sam and Danny each snatched an arm and pulled the techno-geek back to position.

"Focus, nerd!" Sam scolded in a whisper, her eyes scouring the room for their missing ghost. Danny caught her speaking to a couple near the stage they had been on before. It didn't seem as though she had gotten very far since the party began, such was the amount of people wanting to speak with her.

Danny tapped his friends' shoulders and nodded in Dora's direction. Then, he looked around the room once more, this time making sure he hadn't been noticed yet. The last thing he needed was another angry mob. Especially an all-female one.

Tucker was released and Sam led the way to the ghost royal in their sights. Dora met eyes with them and smiled upon noticing the three approach, and the two ghosts she was conversing with took the hint and excused themselves. Sam spoke first.

"Thanks for the cool party, Dora," she began, "but we really should get going before we miss our opportunity."

Sam made sure to be vague in the instance that someone nearby was listening in. Dora's expression turned slightly distressed.

"Oh, I do wish I could convince you all to give up on this..." said the woman in white, "but I understand your concern for your family. Come back to the gardens, we'll discuss this there."

Dora turned and gave a subtle nod to a couple of guards nearby and they followed the four out to the garden's entrance. Once there, the two took their posts on either side of the entryway, ensuring the group would not be disturbed.

The green atmosphere once again welcomed them as the teens came full circle to the large clearing where the flowing fountain resided. Dora led them to the center without a word. Before any of the group could think to speak, Dora lit her hand with green ectoplasmic energy and shot a small blast into the sky.

Danny, Sam and Tucker had all jerked to look to the swirling sky in confusion when suddenly, the same large dragon ghost that had saved them earlier appeared high above them. Tucker's mouth dropped open a bit, still not used to seeing the huge, powerful beasts.

The dragon, formerly introduced as Virgil, landed in the clearing and bowed his head to Dora. The graceful woman nodded appreciatively and ended the silence.

"My friend here will show you to the island domain." she told them, "But it will be up to you to find the monster once there."

Sam looked as if she wanted to say something pointed, so Danny quickly stepped forward.

"Thank you, Dora. We're really grateful for all your help." said the halfa.

"Anytime, Danny." Dora became serious. "I must warn you though, you will not find this opponent easy to defeat. Ivix has many forms, 'clones', as you call them, and they are his eyes and ears on his isle. No doubt he will know when you've arrived."

The members of Team Phantom all nodded, a solemn expression on their younger faces. It was finally time for them to accomplish what they'd come to do.

"We'll return, don't worry." Tucker said, trying to sound sure of himself.

Dora stepped away without a word and Virgil took the unspoken cue to spread his massive wings. In a single beat and rush of air the ghost was airborne and the others were following closely behind, waving to Dora as she grew smaller and smaller with distance.

Virgil was very fast, and even Danny was finding it difficult to keep up. They were all secretly thankful to have such powerful ghosts as allies. Especially under the circumstances.

Danny noticed that the amount of doors, islands and smaller ghosts steadily decreased the further north they flew. There were eventually no lairs at all anywhere around them and Danny could hardly blame them. Any ghost would have to be crazy to want to live near the sinister ghost that was now their enemy.

"Is it just me or is the vibe around here super creepy?" said Tucker, edging closer to his friends and shifting his gaze around.

"It's like a ghost town in the Ghost Zone." Sam muttered. "There's not a spirit in sight."

"Hard to imagine so many ghosts scared away like this. They definitely knew how insane Ivix was, otherwise it wouldn't be like this." Danny said in a quiet voice.

A dark blot of an island could be seen ahead of them now and the three teenagers were quick to sober up and focus.

Virgil led them for another couple of minutes before slowing down and coming to a stop a good distance from the isle. He turned to the group.

 _"Here I will wait for you."_ he explained. _"If you do not return before midnight, I will have to report your deaths to Her Majesty."_

"Thanks, Virgil. We'll make it back." Sam said, hoping she sounded sincere. She was slightly irritated that the dragon wasn't willing to help them fight, but thought better of her initial desire to argue.

Danny and Tucker also decided it wasn't worth the extra time and pushed forward, now left to their own devices. Tucker pulled out his PDA and Danny took the opportunity to ask about their timing.

"How long do we have before your copycat system gets busted back at Vlad's?"

Tucker shrugged. "At least 7 hours. We've got plenty of time, dude. What I'm worried about right now is finding our ghostly bad guy."

"Can you track him?"

Tucker didn't answer right away and instead kept his eyes glued to his screen for a minute or two. Danny and Sam waited patiently and soon Tucker was able to look up again and reply. The two slowed their pace a bit to give their friend time to explain.

"I think I can track his ectoplasm levels." Tucker explained. "If he's really the biggest thing here as Dora says he is, Ivix should be giving out the highest levels of ecto-energy."

Danny gave his friend a proud thump on the back. "You're the man, Tuck."

The island grew larger and more visible as they neared it, allowing the teens to clearly see for the first time the monstrous environment that made up the floating island.

It was silent and eerily still. There were tall trees with long branches and thick leaves that covered the ground beneath them in dark shadow. Shielded by these trees and in the center of the all the vegetation was a cavern, opening easily big enough to fit a small mountain inside. Its mouth gaped open, wide and dark, daring any trespassers to come further.

"You don't think he's in the scary, shadowy, probably bat-infested cave do you?" Danny asked with faltering bravado.

"My PDA-turned-ecto-tracker is definitely picking up some signals from that direction." Tucker replied.

"Ecto-tracker?" Sam deadpanned.

"It's a work in progress."

When Team Phantom finally landed in front of the first row of trees, the contents of the isle still had yet to make a sound. Unwilling to be the one to break the heavy silence, the trio simply pushed forward on foot, hoping the dense forest would hide their location from scouting eyes.

For the most part, there seemed to be no signs of ghostly life anywhere. The trees were still and the leaves barely made a sound under their feet. It was an isolated feeling that seemed to weigh down upon the small group of friends like a heavy curtain.

Once they reached a small break in the trees that created a bit of a clearing, they took a short break to make sure they were in the right place. Tucker pulled out his PDA again and checked his tracker.

"This is definitely the right way to go." said the techno-geek. "There's a massive spike in energy activity near that cave, totally unlike the rest of this spooky, dead island."

Sam checked her wrist ray and bracelets, ensuring she was armed enough. She also had a small blaster holstered to her hip but would only use it as a final option. Their goal was to defeat and capture Ivix, there was still too much they didn't know about how his powers worked.

"We've gotta keep moving, guys. There's only so much time left before someone figures out we're here." Sam reminded them, watching Tucker pocket his PDA once again.

"Yeah, the sooner we get out of here the better, right Danny?" Tucker looked at his friend. It looked like he was concentrating on something in the distance. "Uh...dude? You okay?"

Danny's body was tense and on high alert. Something was up, he could sense it. Tucker was right about there being a big spike in energy up ahead, but there was more energy around them than it seemed. The vibes he was getting from the island made his hair stand on end.

He'd learned a long time ago to trust his ghostly gut. And when he focused on the area around them while his friends talked, he noticed a silent shadowy movement around them every so often. His instincts were right again.

They were being watched.

Danny pretended to be staring at the first place he'd seen the shadow move, but was really readying himself to strike when next he saw the blur change positions.

"Hey, Danny?" Sam called, "What are you-"

Sam cut herself off with a sudden gasp as Danny turned quickly and fired an icy blast of cold energy to his left, into the trees and hopefully, hitting his target. He'd hoped to have trapped the ghost instead of scaring it as he normally would. He didn't want anything returning to their enemy to inform them of their arrival.

"What is your problem?!" Sam snapped, her eyes wide with anger. Danny simply flew over to where he'd fired the blast and breathed out in relief when he could make out a writhing black mist a short distance away.

He recognized the form as something similar to what he saw in his nightmares, dark, quick and possibly deadly.

His friends followed him to the mist-like creature, their hands to their weapons.

"What is that thing?" Tucker wondered aloud, his voice softer than usual. The shadowy figure was caught in ice but still it appeared freaky and disturbing to the two humans.

"I think it's one of those clones Dora was talking about." Danny replied. "I'm going in for a closer look."

As Danny neared it, the black figure slowly stilled and seemed to be looking at him, though it would have been difficult to tell had you seen the darkness that encompassed its evil features. Danny barely had time to blink before the shape of the being below him morphed, with a sickening 'swish', and became someone else entirely. The ghost boy froze.

"Danny? It's me!" came the voice of Maddie Fenton, a face to match staring up at him with confusion.

Danny felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him. His eyes widened and he didn't dare move. Emotions poured through him faster than he could process them, making him break out in a sweat. It was his _mom._ Something inside of him was screaming to fight back and not believe his own eyes, but he just couldn't bring himself to. Suddenly and with jerking movements, Danny found the strength and forward to free her.

Sam reached out to grab him. "Danny, no!"

The girl missed him by mere centimeters. The clone smiled until Danny was close enough, after which its face contorted horribly, and it stuck out it's hands to shoot a blast of green point-blank at his chest.

"Danny!" His friends shouted simultaneously.

The teen was shoved backward by the blast, only coming to a stop when his back struck a tree, knocking the air right out of him. He dropped to his knees and the clone took its chance to break through its confines and flee. It flew away with sharp and quick movements, dodging blasts as Sam and Tucker finally had the time to react and fire their weapons after the ghost.

Danny coughed harshly for a few seconds before pushing himself up off of the ground and reorienting himself. His friends jogged over to him, their shoes pounding on dead leaves.

"We lost it." Said Tucker, breathing heavily. "That thing is fast!"

Danny stopped voluntarily breathing and calmed down. His back was a little sore, but other than that he was fine. The clones seemed to be much less powerful than their master, completely different from Vlad's clones that shared the same abilities.

At being reminded of his sister and archenemy at the mansion he couldn't help but wonder what they were up to now. He'd totally skipped a meal and Jazz had to have come up with an excuse by now. Hopefully they would be able to get back soon.

* * *

"Ask me to play one more time Jasmine, and I swear I will burn this set to a crisp."

Jazz smiled innocently at the billionaire sitting across from her. After Danny didn't show up for lunch or lessons, Jazz had come up with several excuses as to where he might be before Vlad got increasingly testy. Finally, Jazz decided to tell him that Danny simply didn't want to be around Vlad at the moment, and needed some alone time.

This prompted Vlad to get very curious as well as defensive. Knowing Vlad would want to confront Danny himself, Jazz latched on to the first thing she could think of to distract Vlad.

So there they sat, on opposite ends of a small table in the library, playing chess. Jazz had learned how to play from an ex boyfriend in the Chess Club at school, and was glad she had bothered to pay attention to some of the strategies. She was no match for Vlad, but her only real objective was to waste time, so she opted for delaying his win rather than playing aggressively when she could.

They had done this for most of the afternoon, with Vlad taking occasional breaks to attend to business calls or ask about Danny.

Jazz honestly didn't think Vlad was as naive as Danny claimed, and it was obvious she wouldn't be able to keep his suspicions at bay after dinner. She only hoped she could stall for enough time.

"What's wrong Uncle Vlad? Thrown off your game?" Jazz taunted, setting up her pieces once again after a miserable (but drawn out) defeat.

Vlad slammed his palm down on the board. "Do not take me for a fool, girl!"

"You're hiding something, you and Daniel both," he continued, "I don't know what it is, but when I get my hands on that boy I will-!"

"What?" Jazz challenged, "Beat him into next week? Admit it fruitloop, Danny means something to you now. You've gone soft, like the rest of us."

Vlad stood up, his eyes narrowed in fury. He opened his mouth to snap at her when the doors to the library opened. Vlad turned his attention to the interference, hoping for once that it was the little brat in question, and friend in disappointment.

"So sorry to interrupt," said Godfrey with a dip of his head. "but young Daniel has not been seen all day, and the maids have just finished attending to his room..."

"Daniel never lets his room be cleaned." Vlad stuttered lamely. Jazz began to tense.

"Precisely my thoughts," Godfrey agreed. "I had hoped he was in here with you two, but I believe Mr. Fenton is no longer in the mansion, sir."

The two adults turned to Jazz. She sighed and stood up. At least she had tried her best.

"He's not here, obviously," Jazz told them. "But I can't tell you where he is. Sibling code, you know?"

Vlad growled and turned on his heel, storming off with loud steps. He muttered to himself about ungrateful brats and smart-mouths as he walked past Godfrey and into the hall.

"I'll find out for myself where the _dear boy_ has gone." he said, changing into Plasmius and diving through the floor. Godfrey looked back at Jazz, who shrugged.

"Guess it's not my problem anymore." she said, "Wanna play chess?"

Wherever Daniel went, Vlad was sure he hadn't left the phone he'd given him. He could easily track Daniel's whereabouts, even in ghost form. He'd done it before, all he needed was the computer in his lab to access his GPS and track the signal.

Landing in his laboratory, Vlad approached his large computer and powered it up. He was about to go ahead with his plan when he noticed something that definitely was not supposed to be there.

It was an alert that his firewalls had been broken through and were trying to fix the breach. In other words, he'd been hacked.

Enraged, Vlad pulled up his security footage and found the culprit- or rather, group of culprits. His eyes glowed a bright crimson and his fist slammed against the clean white tabletop.

"Honey biscuits!" the man swore. "Those foolish children!"

Within minutes he had Tucker's programs destroyed and all of his own systems up and running again. Vlad opened up his portal and looked back at the footage of Danny, Sam and Tucker entering the Ghost Zone with a scowl.

"You better hope I don't find you, little badger."

* * *

_**Next Chapter: The hunt is on, and it's time to go head-to-head with the one who has been making their lives a living nightmare.  
** _

* * *

**Thanks for your support!**


	23. At Midnight

**Hello person of the internet, this is an update to my story, enjoy, and be merry.**

_**Sparkles** _

__**The Life We Fight For  
** ****  
Chapter 23: At Midnight  


Leaves crunched underneath the boots of three young ghost hunters, pace steady and unbending. Cautiousness had influenced their speed, but they continued on with determination. Their last encounter had become a warning to the group that stealth was an advantage that they couldn't afford to throw away.

Their enemy knew they were here, but if they moved fast enough it was possible they could still take him by surprise.

Sam watched from behind her ghostly friend as he walked through the thorny growths of unknown plants, dragging his feet every once in a while in as subtle a way as possible. Sam sighed inaudibly.

She knew what had happened earlier was still affecting him. It was written all over his face, hence the reason he'd taken the lead. It wouldn't have been obvious to anyone without a sharp eye, but to Sam his body language all but screamed _'I'm upset'._

So as they advanced toward the peaks in the distance Sam took a few extra strides and fell into step beside Danny.

"We're gonna get this guy, okay?"

Danny blinked suddenly, not having been paying attention. He registered what his friend had said and swiped a hand through his sweaty hair.

"Yeah, like we have a choice," he replied in a sarcastic tone. Sam crossed her arms. So much for the hero's bravado!

"You've got to trust us, Danny!" she told him. "Good always triumphs over evil, and we're the force of good here. Everything will work out."

"Yeah dude, we're Team Phantom!" said Tucker from behind. Danny finally chuckled. But his face dropped again after a few moments.

"I know we're trying to do what's right," Danny said, "but lately, it seems like the world has become so much less black and white than I thought it was..."

The group reached the final rows of thinning trees that gave way to rocky ground in comfortable silence. The area continued to seem undisturbed and quiet, eerily still and with no signs of ghost clones.

The cave wasn't as big as it appeared to be from afar now that they had made it to its opening. The size of the mouth was about the height of an average city's apartment building, but the depth of it couldn't be determined from outside for the dismal amount of light that trickled inside, shining solely on a few pointed stalagmites.

"Is it just me, or do those spikes look like teeth?" Tucker said as they approached. Neither of the others could answer. Danny suddenly tensed and whipped around, facing towards the treeline.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Sam tried to joke.

Danny glared as shadowy figures began to materialize and advance from the trees and shrubs, their numbers in the hundreds.

"They've found us," the ghost boy stated. His friends turned and gasped together, backing away. "Get ready."

Danny's hands lit up with green energy, and Sam rolled her shoulders back before aiming her armed wrist towards her side of the trees. Tucker did the same, and they held their positions as tightly together as they could. To be separated now would be disastrous.

The first shadow attacked with ferocious cries, flying fast from its position behind a dying bush. Tucker shot it down, and then they were being swarmed.

Left and right the clones came, and Danny was able to establish a quick rhythm to get rid of them as fast as possible. Just shooting them with an ectoblast wasn't good enough, they were too fast. Instead, Danny used the encounter from earlier as a guide and used his ice powers to freeze the dark gray clones into place, allowing his friends to hit them multiple times.

Freeze and shoot became their tactic, and soon the area became a flurry of gray, green and blue that zipped across the hard stone ground. Dozens of shadowy figures dissolved out of existence, only to be replaced just as quickly as they were shot down.

"We can't keep this up!" Tucker shouted to Danny, who pulled him back just before a clone could swipe at him. "Our ammo will run out soon, and then we'll be in real trouble."

"There's gotta be some way to get them to stop multiplying. Ivix can't possibly be able to maintain this many clones without getting drained!" Danny replied, shoving a clone into the ground and freezing it there.

"Well, when you figure that out, let us know!" Tucker said, dodging another attempted blow to his side.

Danny pulled away from the fight to scour the area in a quick, sweeping glance. There was nothing in the thinning area of trees that looked off. With a quick turnaround Danny once again noticed nothing peculiar- wait, there!

Just inside the cave's entrance stood a dark figure, completely still and overlooking the scene below. That had to be him! Danny let out a whistle to get the clones' attention and lured the fight away from Ivix.

Having used clones and fought with them before, Danny knew how much concentration it took to keep them stable. The further away the clone was from the real ghost, the weaker they would get.

They were now right in front of the first rows of trees, and Sam and Tucker soon found it much easier to take down their enemies. Danny no longer needed to freeze them still and was able to leave his friends to hold them off while he watched as Ivix himself took the bait and stepped out of his hiding place. Now able to see him in the open, Danny flew at top speed to the ghost's location.

"Danny, wait!" he heard, but didn't heed the loud, feminine voice and charged forward. He had to finish what he started, _he had to be the hero._

Finally being able to fight the figure in his nightmares ironically felt like a dream. Ivix was fast. His long cloak, old and tattered, was one of the only things Danny could focus on to keep track of the ghost's movements. That, along with his bright, glowing eyes.

Danny couldn't land a single punch, but to his credit, he was able to keep up just enough so that he didn't get knocked down, either. Their flurry of attacks flew violently around the mouth of the cave until Ivix was able to knock Danny's feet out from under him and fly inside.

Enraged, Danny followed after Ivix and lit up the darkness with ectoenergy. There were spiked stalagmites and stalactites all around, creating a dangerous terrain of huge thorns. Keeping himself in the air, Danny tensed and focused all his senses into finding his enemy, not unlike earlier in the clearing.

Danny felt the air shift near his left and he twisted just in time to avoid a purple blast of energy aimed at his head. He pushed off the wall towards the origin of the attack and was able to tackle the ghost to the ground, freezing Ivix in place.

"Let my mom go!" Danny demanded, his arms tense with adrenaline. He wasn't even the least bit tired, but he didn't want to question it.

"She made her choice," came the ghost's raspy, thick voice. "No matter how she feels now, that cannot be changed!"

Danny cried out as Ivix broke through his ice and punched Danny in the gut, knocking him backwards and forcing the air from his lungs.

Danny coughed, trying to remember he didn't need to breathe and shoved himself upwards to narrowly avoid another strike to his abdomen. Danny swung around with his right leg and managed to land a kick to Ivix's back, pushing him sideways into the wall. With a grunt Danny hopped into the air, his knee aching from the force of the kick but quickly healing.

"I _will_ save her from you!" Danny promised, charging towards his enemy.

Ivix caught his fist before he could land a punch and Danny dug his heels into the ground to avoid being shoved around.

"How naïve you are." Ivix laughed. "An utter waste of ectoplasm."

Ivix pushed away Danny's fist and shot an ectoblast at him point-blank. Danny was able to turn intangible and the blast went right through him.

The purple shot slammed into the wall and shook the cave, creating a rumbling noise. Danny flew upwards and shot at a few stalactites, hoping to bring down a part of the cave on Ivix.

He heard a scream and jolted, his eyes scanning the ground. Sure enough, Tucker and Sam had come into the cave, and were now in danger of being crushed!

Danny rushed towards them and grabbed them both in a tight grip. Before he could even think a green shield appeared around them.

Confused, Danny looked around to see a small beam connecting the shield to Tucker. Specifically, his green and white pin.

"H-how are you doing that?!" Sam cried. Tucker blinked in shock. He put a shaky hand up to his beret.

"No idea!"

The stalactites came down around them, none being able to penetrate the shield. Danny could see Ivix turn intangible, and knew the fight was far from over.

"Get out of the cave," Danny told his friends. "I'm bringing this thing to the ground!"

Sam and Tucker gave each other a concerned look but could not think of any other solution. They nodded and as soon as the danger passed and Tucker's shield gave way, they ran towards the mouth of the cave.

A blur of black flew past Danny and he gasped as Ivix blasted at the entrance. The cave trembled and Danny tackled Ivix to stop the onslaught. Tucker pulled Sam out of the way of the falling spikes and raced to the light.

Up ahead Sam could see a stalactite dangerously close to cracking from the ceiling. With a shout, she pushed Tucker out of the cave just in time for the first spiked mineral to fall between them. The entire entrance to the cave followed suit and hundreds of hanging rock formations and spikes split and fell one by one, blocking off the exit.

 _"Sam!"_ she could hear Tucker shout from outside the cave.

Sam ducked out of the way and back into the darkness, her way out now closed off. She felt the ground shake as a flash of green light exploded onto the floor a short distance away.

She could see the combatants going at it as their auras and energy glowed in the dim light. Danny tried to punch Ivix, and missed as the ghost turned intangible. His fist landed squarely into the wall with all of his force.

Sam flinched, expecting Danny to have at least sprained something, but he didn't even tense with pain. Sam's eyes widened as she noticed Danny's aura was still as bright as ever, while Ivix's was starting to dim slightly from the exertion.

"His earring!" Sam realized. She jumped up from her crouched position and kept to the sides of the cave, trying to avoid getting impaled by falling debris.

"Danny!" she yelled over the sound of crumbling rock and blasting energy. "You've gotta stop!"

Danny didn't even seem to acknowledge her and kicked Ivix dead in the chest, which sent him into the ceiling, narrowly missing a spike. If he didn't control himself, Danny would do something he'd surely regret.

Sam tried to get closer to her friend but every time she tried to come out of her hiding place Ivix shot down a spike that sent her running for her safety. She groaned in frustration and glared at the ghosts before her.

Soon after, she felt a tingling sensation come over her and she gasped, knowing the feeling from being with Danny. She looked down and sure enough, she was invisible. She smirked and kissed one of her bracelets.

"Thank you, dragon lady!" she whispered, hurrying from the side to the back of the large cavern. She only hoped she could now talk sense into her friend.

Danny and Ivix we're almost indistinguishable, their movements were so quick and powerful it was all but a swirl of green and purple. Sam saw Danny get shot into the wall and gasped, running over to him just as he made to get up and rejoin the fight.

"Hey!" Sam snapped, grabbing Danny's arm. Her invisibility was dropped and she stared at Danny seriously. "You're not thinking straight, and we've got to get out of here, right now!"

Ivix chuckled from across the closed-in space. He grinned evilly, his teeth both sharp and menacing.

"You should listen to her," he mocked. "You cannot hope to win this fight."

Danny growled and pushed away from both the wall as well as out of Sam's hold.

"I have to finish this!" he told her. "I don't have a choice!"

He flew off faster than she could blink, and Sam gasped desperately.

"You _always_ have a choice, Danny." she said softly. She continued to follow them, running as fast as she could to keep up. The cave was deeper than it looked, and she soon couldn't even see the entrance anymore.

"Danny, stop!" Sam shouted as the ground shook and she was forced to her knees as the floor took another blow, this time from Danny's ice blasts.

Danny couldn't listen to her, his head was too full of hate and determination. His fists hurt like crazy but his adrenaline was running wild. It took everything in his power to keep up and not let Ivix get any strikes in.

"Look at you," Ivix taunted as Danny managed to accidentally blast down a spike close to Sam's position on the ground. "You're just an accident waiting to happen! Let me do you a favor and put this girl out of her misery!"

Danny gasped as Ivix duplicated and shot at the ceiling above Sam, the two ghosts pummeling the ceiling with blasts of purple until the whole room shook and and began to collapse above Sam.

_"No!"_

The world seemed to slow down, every stalactite, pebble and drop of water moving in slow motion. Sam's eyes widened slowly, the only visible indication that she was frightened.

Danny flew down, faster than he ever thought possible, pushing himself harder than he ever had before to save his friend. He only prayed he could make it time...

* * *

Finding a group of teenagers was a lot easier than most would think. Or perhaps these particular teenagers were much less sneaky than they had thought.

Either way, Vlad only had to spend a few short moments wondering where the group could have gone before coming to a quick conclusion. It took mere seconds to steer himself in the direction of the dragon ghosts' realm and push speeds he rarely used. With all the research he'd done in his home, carelessly compiling information on their common enemy, he should have guessed one of the brats would see something. That, or maybe he was giving them less credit than they deserved. Tucker Foley was able to hack his systems for a while, researching outdated files would have been child's play.

He couldn't waste time on assumptions, so he planned to stop at Skulker's island on the way. He knew Daniel must have gotten his hands on the book Skulker had gotten him, but he had to know for sure that's where he was. If anyone was good at tracking Daniel, it was the hunting ghost himself.

It took barely five minutes to get to the booby trap-infested island, something Vlad knew was no small feat, but refused to dwell on. Skulker met him outside, where he was skinning some odd looking ghost creature. He seemed to be sulking, and Vlad had a feeling that he could guess exactly why.

"If you're looking for the whelp, I don't have him," Skulker muttered without turning around. Vlad scoffed.

"I know you don't have him, you can barely manage to sneak up on him." he said plainly. "Where has he gone?"

Skulker shrugged. "Somewhere..."

Vlad grit his teeth and grabbed the metal ghost's arm, turning him and pinning him against a tree. Skulker yelped and struggled to free himself without any success.

"I don't care how bruised your ego is," Vlad said in a deadly whisper. "I like answers, and _believe me,_ I know how to get them."

Skulker huffed, relaxing in the harsh grip. "Alright, I get it."

Vlad released him and Skulker massaged his arm (though he didn't really feel it) before his tongue loosened.

"He's in the dragon's kingdom. Or at least, he was." said Skulker.

Vlad didn't hesitate and simply turned away to leave. Skulker scowled and called after him.

"I hope the brat isn't making you soft, Plasmius!"

Vlad turned in the air and fired a blast at the pelt Skulker had been working on, burning a hole straight through it. After Skulker gave a satisfying shriek Vlad sped away, temporarily content.

It was a fair concern, what with all the time he'd been spending with Daniel, but he couldn't let his allies think the boy had an effect on him. He was still as ruthless as ever, and anyone foolish enough to think otherwise would face his wrath.

The first thing he needed to do was find the newly crowned queen of the dragon kingdom. She was an ally of Daniel's, according to a report of Skulker's, and would no doubt have seen him if he had indeed come this way.

Out of the known areas of the Ghost Zone the Far Frozen and Dragon Kingdom were two of Vlad's biggest threats. The inhabitants were ancient and had numbers on their side. Keeping them both as allies would be the best course of action, but Daniel's influence with the icy beasts had already branded him an enemy.

Luckily for Vlad, he hadn't had many encounters with Dora or her people. There was a very good chance that if he explained his situation Dora would tell him what she knew about Daniel.

Getting to the kingdom was no problem, but as Vlad neared he kept his eyes on the neon sky until he spotted the dragon he was looking for. Circling the floating kingdom high in the air above was the scout dragon. Thankfully, the usual guard didn't seem to be on duty, so Vlad had high hopes of not being attacked before he could say 'hello'.

It was easy to get the dragon's attention, and when it came swerving towards him it took more strength than Vlad expected to not be knocked over by the forceful wind that blew from its mighty wings.

The dusty brown dragon lowered its head and Vlad smiled as easily as he could, keeping his posture loose. He wasn't here for a fight, and the sooner got to see Dora, the better.

"My name is Vlad Plasmius," he began, "I have a very urgent matter to discuss with your ruler."

The dragon's slitted eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You are familiar with the half ghost Phantom, are you not?" Vlad tried. The ghost nodded, seeming to relax a little. "I'm here to find him."

The ghost straightened and ducked towards the castle.

 _"Follow."_ it ordered.

Vlad and the brown dragon were able to enter the castle with no issues. As they entered, Vlad noticed a great number of people leaving, all dressed up nicely and laughing.

'Have I missed something?' the halfa wondered.

The dragon led him to the castle's door and allowed him to enter alone. It didn't take long to find the woman he'd been looking for, as she was busy saying farewell to her guests at the inner door, leading to what he guessed was a ballroom. She had a guard on either side of her and an air of dignity about her Vlad had never noticed before.

Vlad waited as the last of the ghosts left the castle, appearing on the outside as if he were being the most respectful, patient and courteous man in the room.

On the inside, he was ready to start ripping off heads if he didn't get answers soon. The clock was ticking, and every second he wasted was another second that Daniel could be in danger without Vlad there to help him.

Dora saw him as the last couple was ushered out. She gestured for her guards to leave her and then beckoned Vlad to follow her.

Once they were in an unoccupied room, an ordinary study no less, Dora spoke.

"Although I so wish this was a social visit, I have a feeling you're here on business, Sir Plasmius." said the royal.

Vlad straightened, trying his best to ignore his need to release his frustrations out on Dora. Surely she knew why he was here!

"I'm afraid so," Vlad confirmed. "I was told Daniel came through here not too long ago, and it is of great importance that I locate him immediately."

Dora smiled easily and seated herself on a plush chair beside a small bookcase. Her posture was relaxed, but inside she was conflicted. She was loyal to Danny as an ally, but she and Vlad both knew he could be reckless at times. She decided to go the difficult route and avoid giving too much away just yet.

"Danny is very important to me, Plasmius." said Dora. "I'll need to know the context of this situation before I divulge anything."

Vlad wanted to yell at her. Or perhaps snap a few bones, maybe that would get her talking. He squashed down the homicidal thoughts and huffed.

"Of course, but I must remind you that time is of the essence," Vlad responded. "The short explanation as to why I'm here is that Daniel is, at the moment, my responsibility. I'm sure he explained to you his circumstances..."

"Not in detail," Dora answered. "But enough to know he most likely has a reason to go behind your back. Tell me, Plasmius, why should I help you?"

Vlad all but snarled. The woman was playing smart, but two could very much play this game. And he happened to play it quite well.

"Right now Daniel is consumed by his hero complex and determined to save the day." Vlad began. "Normally this would not be an issue, but the person he's going up against is very much willing to kill given the chance. His life is at stake, I implore you, tell me where to find Ivix's island."

Dora contemplated her options for a moment. On the surface her opinions were the same as Vlad's. She didn't want to escort Danny to the isle in the first place, but had been obligated to keep her word as a friend. Dora didn't doubt the powerful force Danny and his friends made when they fought together, but the threat was still very real.

"What will you do after you rescue him?" she asked, softer than before. Vlad relaxed a bit, noticing her beginning to relent.

"I...haven't given it much thought, honestly," he admitted. "I could very easily consider this betrayal, and I'd have every right to drop the boy as my ally..."

"Yes, you would," Dora agreed. "From what I gather, he went against your wishes, and plotted behind your back. So again, what do you plan to do about that?"

Vlad gave Dora a curious look, but decided to simply continue playing along for the sake of time.

"If only I were his parent, I could figure exactly what I should do..." Vlad sighed. "But with the little authority I hold over him I can barely keep him alive, let alone enforce obeying my rules."

Dora nodded. "Then don't start with that."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"What does a familial relationship begin with?" Dora asked, before proceeding to answer her own question. "Love. It's the best place to start."

"I can see your point," Vlad told her, "but I'm afraid Daniel cannot even see me as someone capable of being so close to him. No matter what I do, his answer will always be to remain allies, nothing more."

"Then perhaps it is time to stop asking for his opinion, Sir Plasmius," said Dora, rising to her feet. "He is not an adult, after all."

Vlad watched as Dora opened and peered out of the door for a moment before calling a servant over. She instructed him to bring her an escort and returned to Vlad. His eyebrows creased in contemplation.

"Why would you give me advice on parenting Daniel?" he asked her. "What do you have to gain?"

Dora laughed. "Ever the optimist, are you not?"

When Vlad did not relent, she sighed and moved from the doorway.

"Perhaps I simply care for Danny, and want him to live a long and happy life. It might also be that I do not approve of his recent reckless move, and believe some comeuppance is in order." she replied. "Of course, I could also simply be bored. I am a ghost, after all."

Vlad allowed himself a small smile, and was relieved when a knock sounded on the door and the servant from earlier arrived to inform them that a dragon was stationed outside. Vlad quickly followed the servant into the hallway with Dora not too far behind.

"Be sure to get Danny home safely." Dora told him. In a softer voice, she added, "Don't forget what we spoke about."

Vlad nodded quickly, assuring her he'd heard, before turning on his heel and following the servant out of the castle into the company of the same dragon he'd spoken to before.

Luckily, this time the dragon was much more willing to help him and was very quick to take the lead towards their destination.

Vlad was thankful that the creature was fast, and as the number of ghostly lairs began to shrink, he couldn't help the nervous pit in his stomach. Daniel had been on the island for at least a good couple of hours now, if not more. So much could happen in such a timeline, and it caused Vlad to worry much more than he was used to.

When the island was finally in full view Vlad didn't hesitate and barely managed to give the dragon a heads up before teleporting away to the tree-covered land that made up the outer rim of the isle. He let out an unnecessary breath. Finally, he could accomplish his goal.

Not ten seconds passed since he landed on the island that Vlad felt a tremor shake the ground. He quickly hopped into the air lest he lose his balance. He felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

_'Daniel!'_

Vlad flew high above the treeline, his eyes settling on the clearing that gave way to a cavernous mount. He sped towards it, hoping with all of his being that he wasn't too late.

As he neared he could sense both Daniel and another ghost's signature from inside the largest, closed off cave. Outside, he saw Daniel's friend Tucker, who waved frantically at Vlad once he was in view.

"Danny and Sam are inside!" Tucker yelled once Vlad was close enough. "The cave is collapsing, it can't handle the fight!"

Vlad teleported inside without a word, adrenaline racing through his veins. His eyes glowed brightly as they adjusted to the darkness. The ground shook, causing a few stalactites to fall from above.

The halfa dodged them expertly and pushed forward, following the sound of fighting and flashes of light from deep within the cavern.

When he caught sight of Daniel in ghost form, fighting a blur of black and purple he did not have time to feel relief. He did not even have a chance to say a word before the enemy duplicated and flew to the spikes of mineral formed above them.

He heard Daniel shout in fear as spikes were shot down one after the other, and Vlad soon realized why. Daniel dove towards the ground just below the area of danger, and Vlad finally saw Sam.

Without a second thought Vlad teleported. He'd needed to time it just right, and he prayed desperately that he'd done it in time.

Appearing beside the girl, Vlad grabbed her in one arm and snatched Daniel's arm just before he could smash into them. Pulling both the teens close, Vlad finally made a shield all around them and watched in relief as the rocks pounded against the barrier but could not penetrate it.

Danny appeared to be in shock but Sam was quick to recover, regaining her breath and shouting over the noise of the collapsing cave.

"We need to get out of here!" she told Vlad. "Before we're buried alive!"

He didn't bother answering and simply hugged the two of them close once more before daring to teleport for a third time, something he hadn't done in quite a while.

Teleporting just once took a great amount of concentration, and even then the energy it required was enough to power an entire week's worth of weapons for FentonWorks.

Vlad appeared outside the cave slightly disoriented, but otherwise unharmed. He quickly checked to make sure that the two teenagers had made it as well before finally letting out a breath. However, his relief was short lived, as Daniel began to pull out of his hold and shout.

"No! I have to finish this, what are you doing?!" he cried, nearly hysterical. Vlad almost released him as he was caught by surprise, but had enough sense to keep an arm around the boy's waist and release Sam.

"What has gotten into you?!" Vlad cried, his eyes fixed on the cave that was steadily crumbling before them. "Calm down, Daniel!"

"I have to know for sure! I need to know he didn't make it out!"

Tucker had rejoined them then, and could only look at his friend helplessly. Sam meanwhile, seemed to be contemplating something.

"It's not worth it!" Vlad told Danny. When the boy didn't cease to struggle, he tried a different approach. "If Ivix doesn't have the energy to teleport, there's a good chance he'll be crushed underneath the debris. Please, Daniel, just calm down."

Danny finally let out a desperate sob. "I can't. You don't understand!"

Vlad opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Sam coming over to them and putting her hand to Danny's head. Vlad watched curiously as she quickly examined his ear for a moment before she carefully and skillfully pulled out the earring that was stuck there.

Danny had stilled, unsure of what exactly Sam was playing at, before he began to panic. His strength and vigor was quickly leaving him, and he suddenly felt dizzy. Vlad was forced to support him fully as his knees then buckled under his weight and he fell.

"Sorry, but I'm not about to let you get crushed by a ghost rock." Sam muttered softly. Danny barely understood her; his head was too foggy and he had to close his eyes to keep the vertigo at bay.

Finally, Danny's head dropped to his chest and he was officially out cold. Rings appeared around his waist and he quickly transformed from ghost to human. Sam fixed the earring to its backing before stowing it away for later.

"Let's go," she said, her eyes fixed ahead. "The sooner we're out of here, the better."

No one argued, and sooner than seemingly possible, Vlad was carrying the unconscious Danny in his arms and leading the others back to his portal.

Tucker and Sam were silent the entire way. Their plan had utterly failed, and their egos were badly bruised. Not to mention their friend was now just barely recovering from a difficult battle, one they had needed to be rescued from. And by a fruitloop no less...

When Vlad closed the portal behind them in his lab the teens weren't surprised when he ordered Godfrey to escort them to a driver that would take them home. They only hoped they wouldn't be grounded for too long after their parents were informed that they had helped their friend sneak out. Though they did deserve it.

Vlad continued on to carry Danny to his room, where he found Jazz waiting for them on his bed. When she saw the two halfas she jumped up in shock.

"What happened?!" she demanded, unable to question further as Vlad pushed a finger to his lips.

"Don't wake him." he ordered, placing Danny onto the bed Jazz had previously occupied.

Jazz forced herself to wait patiently while Vlad situated her brother comfortably before hurrying her out into the hall. It was all she could take to force herself not to shout.

"The scales were not tipped in your brother's favor, I'm afraid." Vlad sighed, changing to his human form. "I believe I was able to prevent the worst possible damage but he could be injured internally, I will not know until he's awake."

Jazz was relieved that her brother wasn't in any immediate danger, but now she had a whole other set of worries.

"What are you going to do now?" hhe asked him, running her hands through her long, red hair. The action helped her remain calm.

"Well I must see Godfrey about postponing dinner, and then reschedule all the work I've missed today-"

"No, I mean," Jazz interrupted. "When Danny wakes up..."

Catching her hint, Vlad frowned. Yet again he was forced to think through his plans for Daniel and he.

"Where we go from here will be Daniel's prerogative." he finally decided. "My only request from you is that you abstain from influencing his choice. This must be his own decision."

Jazz nodded. "I can do that."

Vlad gave an approving nod of his own and stepped back.

"Will you be staying with him?" the billionaire asked, gesturing to Danny's bedroom door.

"Most likely. He'll be confused when he wakes up." she said softly.

Vlad didn't reply, simply giving her a thankful look and turning away to see to his list of ever growingly responsibilities.

Daniel would be the death of him, Vlad was sure of it. There was no foreseeable way he could continue to endure this daily heart failure without being near to death's door. It was utterly impossible.

At times like these, he thought it best to drown himself in his work. He'd missed many days of meetings, trips and important events due to Daniel's visit and he would be the first to say he would do it again if given the chance. A man like Vlad could afford to take time off, what with the plethora of top-notch staff running his companies and the big decisions being left for whenever his signature was available. It was almost a vacation.

Almost. Instead of a physical grind such as visiting his offices or entertaining guests in a posh venue abroad, he now stood before the challenge that was rebuilding his family life.

He'd dreamt of this moment, fantasized and imagined exactly how it would be to have Daniel by his side. But he could have never foreseen the hardship. The arguing, the mood swings, the teenage angst! It was almost too much at times.

Vlad entered his study and sunk into his desk chair with a sigh. Inside himself he knew that every moment he spent with Daniel was worth missing all the work, worth pushing to ensure that their alliance remained strong, worth the sleepless night trapped as a teddy bear.

Even if given the chance to, he would not have missed any of that. It was like a new challenge every day with Daniel and he was getting oddly used to it.

There was a singular knock on his door and his butler entered the room soon after. Vlad snapped out of his thoughts.

"Miss Manson and Mr. Foley have been taken care of, sir," said Godfrey.

"Good, the less I have to worry about right now the better." Vlad sighed. Godfrey hesitated at the door.

"Has the young sir woken up yet?" he asked in concern.

"No." Vlad answered. "And with any luck, he won't for a while. I haven't decided what to do with him yet."

Godfrey nodded before turning to leave. He halted for a moment before speaking on a whim.

"I know I don't normally ask..." Godfrey began, "but if you are having trouble with making a decision, perhaps you would like to hear my advice?"

Vlad only had to think for a moment before he gestured for his butler to enter the room once again. Godfrey had a knack for reading and understanding people, so Vlad valued his opinion when it came to situations concerning others.

"I just don't understand why he feels the need to fight me tooth and nail," Vlad finally admitted. He was beyond exasperated at this point. "I've done practically everything I can to make him comfortable here for the time being but he seems hellbent on pushing my buttons whenever he gets the chance!

Vlad got a hold of himself then and forced himself to breathe deeply. He could still feel some of that panicked adrenaline from racing through the Ghost Zone. The thought that Daniel had knowingly made him worry that much made him furious, and if Vlad were still the plotting archenemy that he had been only months ago he would have left the brat on that island.

"Your frustration is understandable." Godfrey responded after a moment of contemplation. "But maybe you should try putting yourself in his shoes."

"Pardon?"

"How did young Daniel's parents treat him whilst he was under their roof?" Godfrey prompted.

Vlad thought for a moment. "They either ignored him, or were extremely overbearing. They were lazy with their rules and whenever Daniel did manage to get into trouble, it was rare that he actually thought twice about doing the action again in the future."

"Exactly," Godfrey nodded, smiling. "Now, fast forward to present day. He has a schedule, you put off work to be with him, he has a sense of what is expected of him while he's here..."

"It is a completely different atmosphere." Vlad finished. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

Though he didn't want to brush off the situation at hand, he could see why Daniel would be uncomfortable acting as the poster boy for good behavior with a man he'd only previously known as a villain. Putting himself in Daniel's shoes was easy in theory, but trying to understand his binary view of life and hero complex sometimes nearly made Vlad go mad.

"Right again, sir," the butler praised. "So, if you had suddenly changed lifestyles from very easy going, lazy parenting to a more focused, stricter version-"

"I'd be doing exactly what he's been doing." Vlad said in a defeated tone. "But I can't excuse him this time. I cannot simply let this go so easily."

This time, Daniel hadn't just lied by omission, or committed some other easily fixable error. He'd willfully put his own life at risk. For both Daniel's sake and his own, it was something he just couldn't let slide.

Godfrey nodded his head in understanding. He had to give his employer credit, for it seemed that he really did care to do things right by Danny. At the very least, he was going to try his absolute best to keep their newfound trust from being destroyed.

"Of course you can't," agreed the servant. "But to take a more parental role than you ever have before- especially when the boy hardly sees you as a parental figure at all- could damage your alliance rather than improve it."

Vlad remembered his conversation with Dora and what she had suggested concerning the very same problem. Vlad's eyebrows creased together in concentration. Daniel would never simply grow used to Vlad like another child might, it's one of the things that made him different, even special. Daniel was a hero, and a hero always had issues with trust. Even as the so called 'villain' Vlad could understand why.

"I have to stop asking questions," he said, more to himself than to Godfrey. "Godfrey my friend, I think it's time for a nice, old fashioned ultimatum."

Godfrey didn't respond, more confused than anything else. What could his employer possibly mean? And what would this mean for Danny?

Vlad's eyes narrowed in a way that told Godfrey he was definitely planning something. It had been a while since Godfrey had been privy to one of Vlad's schemes but he could tell that this one seemed different. Most likely, the cause was that there was so much more on the line this time. This was Vlad's dream of having a son they were talking about.

"Get my lawyer down here, we have some matters to discuss." Vlad ordered, standing from his seat. "In the meantime, I need to cash in on some favors."

Godfrey didn't have time to respond. Vlad stepped past him and out the door quicker than the elder could process. Godfrey worried at the devious glint in his employer's eyes as he walked away. It was a look he hadn't seen since Danny came to live with them.

Whatever came next, Godfrey was certain it would be a true test for both of the halfas. With a smirk Godfrey walked to the telephone on the desk to call Vlad's lawyer.

This was going to be very interesting indeed.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Vlad turns the tables in an unexpected twist that leaves Danny between a rock and a hard place.** _

* * *

 


	24. Midnight's Ultimatum

**Why Hello, welcome back to my humble story. Or if you're new here: 'sup fam~**

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 24: Midnight's Ultimatum**

Sunlight streamed through the windows, covering the room with soft light. It was early in the morning, just after breakfast in the Masters Mansion. The day had begun anew and with it, another opportunity for good to triumph.

But as the light cascaded over a certain raven haired young man, the thought of chasing the adventures of a new day sounded more like a nightmare than anything.

He woke up slowly, as if simply returning to consciousness was like swimming against the current back to shore. It took an obscene amount of time and effort, but when he finally did feel sober and alert, Danny nearly wanted to knock himself back out.

Oh, the embarrassment! He'd acted completely out of control earlier, and in front of his archenemy no less! Danny's cheeks burned and he tossed a sore, stiff arm over his eyes with a groan. He'd never live this down!

"I take it you're awake now?" a voice suddenly called out.

Worried it was Vlad, Danny stiffened for only a moment before pulling his arm from his face and sitting up. Or at least, he tried to.

His arms were much more weak than he initially thought, especially his hands. They shook violently before giving out completely, leaving Danny slumped on top of his pillows half sitting and half laying on the bed. He heard a feminine giggle to his left.

"Smooth, really smooth," said Jazz, who was sitting in a chair beside his bed. Danny glowered at her. "Easy, I'm just teasing."

Danny blinked against the light that seemed too bright despite the curtains covering half of the window closest to him. His expression turned confused as he tried to rub away the remaining tiredness from his eyes.

"Is it morning?" he questioned quickly.

"Yup," Jazz answered. "You slept the rest of yesterday away. I honestly didn't expect you to wake up this early, either."

"What happened?" Danny asked her, able to slowly get into a sitting position now that he had relaxed some.

"I only know that Vlad found out about your plan, went into the Ghost Zone, and came back with you totally unconscious." answered his sister evenly. Danny frowned.

"...Is he mad?"

_"What do you think?"_

Danny winced at her tone of voice. It was one she often reserved for telling off their parents when their weapons got too out of hand. It didn't take a genius to know she was upset with him too.

"And you're here as what, my bodyguard?" Danny said sarcastically.

Jazz sighed, her posture shifty and uncomfortable. She crossed her arms delicately.

"I'm here because I think all of _this,"_ Jazz waved a hand through the air, "has gotten out of hand."

"What are you talking about?" Danny questioned in confusion.

"This dynamic that's been created between you and Vlad. Neither of you are taking the opportunity to become _real_ allies," the girl explained. "Even with all of the time you spend together and all of the chances you've had to learn more about each other, one of you always pushes the other away. I'm tired of it."

Danny ground his teeth together in frustration. It wasn't that simple, he couldn't allow someone he couldn't trust into his life so easily. It just didn't work that way!

The half ghost nearly shuddered as a vision of himself as Vlad Plasmius' apprentice came to mind. It would definitely take something drastic to push him that low.

"Right," Danny snapped. "And becoming the minion of an evil villain is _such_ a better way to go about things."

"You know that's not what I'm saying!" Jazz replied defensively. "Don't you ever consider what mom and dad would want you to do if they were here, right now?"

Danny's eyebrows creased in confusion, his body tensing up at the mention of their parents. Jazz continued on in a softer tone of voice.

"Think about it, they both want us to be happy, right?" she said, "If either of them saw us suffering unnecessarily for their sake, wouldn't that make them feel bad? Wouldn't they rather come back to us as healthy and happy as they left us?"

Danny knew his sister had a point, it was a strange day when she wasn't completely right. But he just couldn't entertain the idea of continuing to push the dynamic between him and Vlad.

Besides, after his latest stunt Danny wagered the man didn't want to so much as see him, let alone talk about feelings. Plasmius was not very touchy feely, more so _angry_ and _scary._

"I doubt it matters anymore, he probably hates me...again." Danny said after a moment. Jazz sighed.

"He's scared..." Jazz stated softly. Danny looked up at her in silent surprise and she continued, "You didn't see him, Danny. When he carried you in here he seemed natural but he had this- this _tenseness_ to him, like a coiled spring. I couldn't tell what it was then, but now...he was worried, for you."

Danny eyes widened a fraction and a brief, unknown emotion washed over them, clouding the bright blue hues. It lasted only a swift, sweet moment before his head was in his hands and his fingers were gripping tightly to his deep black hair.

"How can you just _know_ that?" Danny hissed through clenched teeth. "What makes you think that Vlad won't turn right around and betray me, betray _us_ , as soon as our guards are down?!"

"I don't know that he won't," said Jazz, remaining calm. She put a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"But I know that Danny Phantom always gives second chances."

Danny felt his chest tighten and he curled into himself a bit, feeling overwhelmed. He was a hero, a young, sensitive one, but a superhero nonetheless. Jazz was right, as usual.

"You need to figure out what it is you want, and I can't help you decide this time." Jazz finished as she stood up, hesitant to pull her hand away. "What happens from here on out is your choice, and I'll support you no matter what, okay?"

Danny took a second to compose himself, taking a deep breath and relaxing his muscles before looking up at his sister again. He gave her a half-hearted smile and nodded.

"Thanks, Jazz."

The girl took the statement as all the reply she would receive and stepped away.

"I'll tell Godfrey to send up some breakfast, you need the energy," she said softly, turning away and finally retreating from the tense atmosphere of the bedroom.

Danny dropped his gaze as soon as she turned her back to him and waited for the sound of the door opening and closing to finally relax.

Nothing felt worse than having your plan utterly fail on top of getting rescued by the one person who, ironically, could make him feel even worse than he did already. The whole circumstance surrounding his current position felt surreal in the most horrid way.

Not seeing the pompous man in question yet made him even more uneasy. Vlad had a knack for being near whenever Danny was first waking up after an ordeal, and his absence was all the teen needed to truly understand the feeling of 'fearing the unknown'.

Little did he know, his day was about to get much worse than he anticipated.

* * *

Vlad set his cellphone upon his desk in a firm and final movement of confidence. His face might have appeared neutral to a stranger, but to any close person the man's expression said a single word: _plotting._

And indeed, plans were coming together perfectly and Vlad was honestly feeling wonderful. He'd almost forgotten how it felt to conjure a scheme for his own goals, to put aside silly worries of feelings and chivalry and be his selfish self.

This was nowhere near what Vlad would consider 'evil', however. A good evil plan took time and effort, things Vlad couldn't give at the moment. He was thinking on the fly, coming up with something that might tip the scales in his favor for once.

If this went his way, his entire life could be changed, and so would someone else's. This was not just a plot of course, this was an ultimatum, and it could go one of two ways. Vlad could only hope luck was on his side today.

After spending an entire morning on the phone, from calling his personal legal team, finding loopholes in certain legislation, and coming up with the perfect proposal strategy, Vlad finally believed he had almost everything he needed.

All he was waiting on was a document to be faxed to him by his lawyer. After that, it was a waiting game. Waiting for his target to awaken, that is.

As it turns out, he didn't have to wait long. Vlad soon had a visitor to his study that brought him some good news.

"Mr. Fenton is awake, sir," said his butler, Godfrey, who smiled pleasantly at him from the doorway. "Having a late breakfast. He's also confined to his room, as you requested."

"Perfect," Vlad replied, "Let's make sure he stays there this time, hm?"

Godfrey nodded, instantly leaving to keep watch for a runaway halfa. Danny's disappearance had not only bothered his employer, indeed, Godfrey had grown fond of the boy as well. Enough to not want him dead at the hands of a twisted ghost, at least.

Meanwhile, Vlad tried and failed to avoid staring at his fax machine. It was as up to date as technology allowed, and had never once jammed. Still, as the minutes ticked by and Vlad attempted to sign off on some unrelated documents on his desk, he couldn't help but wonder if he should check that there were no issues.

He was being paranoid, and he knew it, but Vlad needed the copy in order for his little act to commence. Vlad prided himself in being a patient man, enough to pursue a married woman who'd snubbed his affections for years, but- ah!

Vlad finally heard the satisfying sound of paper shooting out of his machine and he stood quickly, losing his composure for all of that single moment before striding forward. With the grace of someone worthy to be called a Masters, he swept the pages from their tray and smirked contentedly for what seemed like the first time in months.

It was just a copy, for the real thing would be a bit more tedious to finalize, but it would serve its purpose. What it stood for would most certainly be enough.

Adoption papers, still warm from the machine, were held gently in Vlad's hands. Finally, he could put his plan into motion.

He refused to walk away from all the strife, tribulation and overall trouble he'd been put through the past months empty handed. This would be his payment.

At last, Vlad would get what he truly wanted.

* * *

After Godfrey told Danny he wasn't allowed out, the teenager almost disappeared on the spot. Having to sit around and do nothing now that he knew just how powerful his enemy was? Complete torture.

But he could tell by the way Godfrey's tone was clipped and how he didn't avoid calling him 'Mr. Fenton' that he'd ticked off the help as well. They were all probably worried, and Danny could understand why Vlad wouldn't want him to leave the mansion, but he couldn't bring himself to feel guilty.

So he'd broken one, _kind of_ important rule. Was that such a big deal? It was for a very good reason! A superhero can break the rules for the greater good, even Vlad should know that.

But as Danny lay on his bed, having long since finished his meal, somehow he knew that his excuse would not hold up against the fruitloop-y judge. He needed a better argument if he wanted to be able to sit down comfortably after Vlad finally showed up.

Once again, Danny found himself trying to please Vlad. Though he couldn't bring himself to feel disgusted as he usually did, since he was still sulking over the fact that he was in this position at all.

His plan should have gone smoothly. He and his friends should have been enough to triumph. If they had fought on Danny's turf, he definitely would have won. At least now he knew that Ivix wasn't as omnipotent as he claimed to be.

He wished he could call his friends to entertain himself, but he had tried to get a hold of them earlier only to receive no reply. He could only assume that they'd been grounded. Thankfully Vlad was hiding away and hadn't come to take away his phone...yet.

He cursed his luck when his sensitive hearing picked up footsteps outside his room. He really needed to ask Sam if she knew anything about getting rid of rotten luck...

He closed his eyes and focused on what he was hearing. The steps were practiced, balanced and even, but confident and sharp. That ruled out Godfrey, who had a habit of staying as silent as possible, most likely to compliment his occupation.

The strides were also spaced further apart, indicating a height that easily surpassed his sister's. In other words, either his deductive reasoning was off the mark today...or the prodigal cheesehead had returned.

Danny treasured his precious few moments of solitude before sitting up and trying to look relaxed. Quite a difficult thing to do when you weren't sure if you'd be getting blasted through a wall in the next few minutes, or worse, thrown facedown over a lap.

When the single swift, sharp knock sounded on the expensive wood, Danny was ready. Before he could speak however, the door was opened, and Vlad stepped in without a word.

Danny spotted a large yellow envelope held in the man's grasp as Vlad closed the door behind him with his free hand and walked past Danny. The confused teen watched as Vlad pulled Danny's desk chair from where Jazz had positioned it beside the bed to sit in front of him. Danny fought to stay relaxed, repeating to himself that he had done nothing wrong.

"Daniel," Vlad finally called out, breaking the silence. He sat down with a soft sigh and stared unblinkingly into Danny's lighter blue eyes. "This isn't working."

"Huh?" Danny responded, maneuvering his body to sit cross-legged facing Vlad.

Vlad wasn't showing any indication of anger, or pride, or even happiness. Danny couldn't read his expression at all, and after months spent getting to knowing Vlad on a deeper level it was unnerving that the elder halfa seemed so much more serious than usual.

"I cannot continue to play around with our situation," Vlad stated. "Keeping you safe and helping you defeat this ghost are my conditions to uphold in this alliance, and both of those things are in jeopardy whilst the state of our arrangement continues."

Danny put a hand to his temple in mock pain. He could understand what the man was saying for all of one sentence.

"You're doing that thing where you're not speaking English..." he nearly whined, "9th grade vocabulary, please." Vlad rolled his eyes.

"I'm _saying_ that we are never going to win this fight if we're not on the same page." Vlad lifted the envelope, "Specifically, this one."

"You and I could be an unstoppable force," the billionaire continued without allowing Danny to respond. "There's plenty I could still teach you, provide for you, not to mention I could give you much more than just knowledge and power. Think, a life without judgement for what you are, with no more secret identities in your own home. If you'd only renounce your father..."

"But you know I won't do that." Danny cut in through gritted teeth.

"I know you won't do that," Vlad confirmed. "But, it was worth a try."

Vlad had decided against playing games with Daniel- as much as he might want to- and be blunt. With a child, specifically a teenager, it was easier said than done. But when Vlad stood up, hoping to get a serious reaction from the other, he noticed the boy still just seemed confused. Maybe Daniel was right, he needed to speak his language.

Danny watched in bewilderment as Vlad stood, eyes following every movement closely. Was that it? Vlad was just going to leave him alone after all the trouble of riling him up?

The halfa stood before the boy and stared down at him, his expression changing. His eyes were red with a quick blink, and he towered over Danny with a dark look on his formerly neutral face. Danny's eyes widened in surprise, his irises standing out against his dark lashes.

"So, _Danny Phantom,"_ said Vlad Masters, a clear bite to his tone, "this is my last stand, my ending statement...my final ultimatum, if you will."

Danny didn't respond, too tense and uncertain to reply. His body was ready and waiting for battle as soon as Vlad's red eyes bore into his own, but he squashed down his reflex of fight or flight. He couldn't figure out what Vlad's endgame was this time, it just didn't make sense.

"These," Vlad held up the documents, "are letters detailing your adoption."

Danny flinched horribly, and Vlad felt immensely satisfied. He pushed on, saying,

"There were plenty of corrupt officials who were all too eager to deem it necessary to relocate you, and for such a laughable price."

It felt too good to be standing over the brat, watching him pale while being told exactly how easy it was for his whole life to change. Vlad had gone for far too long playing the angel, now it was time for his reward. Plasmius was back, and with a vengeance.

"You've finally proven to yourself that you are no match for Ivix, even with the help of your little friends." He smirked. "You can't get your mother back without my help. But there's a price for everything, little badger, and this is mine."

"I gave you a clean slate, we already had a deal!" Danny snapped, his eyes glued to the papers in Vlad's hand.

"But you haven't truly kept your end of the bargain, have you?" Vlad retaliated, "Sneaking around behind my back, lying to me, even breaking into my computer systems...does that sound like normal behavior between allies?"

"You lied too!" Danny exclaimed, "About all the stuff Jazz found about Ivix, you were hiding everything from me, weren't you?!"

"For your own protection!" the man defended, "And you proved my decision to be the right one, seeing as how you took it upon yourself to sneak out as soon as you discovered that information!"

"I cannot continue on as a simple ally," Vlad told him. "If you don't agree to this, I'm backing out of our truce. Including the deal concerning your father. His safety, as well as the safety of your mother in the hands of that monster will be entirely your responsibility."

"You're bluffing. You wouldn't let my mom get hurt." Danny said confidently. Vlad smiled back at him.

"Chess and its strategies might not be your forte, but I believe you can understand a 'necessary sacrifice', can you not?" Vlad said easily, closing his eyes for a moment, "If this is what it takes to get you to understand the severity of your current situation so be it."

Vlad dropped the yellow object into the bed beside Danny before taking a few steps back to give the boy some space. When Vlad finally looked back at his face, however, his eyes widened suddenly in surprise.

Danny was looking at him with an expression Vlad couldn't decipher. His lips were slightly parted in what could only be shock, his face was still pale and his eyes were looking right into Vlad's with a piercing stare. It lasted all of one, silent moment...before a tear shot down Danny's face in a quiet race down his cheek, before falling and landing on his lap.

"Why?" Danny hissed, "Why are you doing this? Why is _nothing_ ever good enough for you?"

He didn't acknowledge the droplets cascading down his splotchy skin in favor of gripping the fabric of his jeans tightly in his hands. Danny felt defeated. No, he felt broken.

"All I've ever done is try to do the right thing, even with you. Yet here you are, trying to manipulate me again," Danny cried, "I'm not a trophy, Vlad, you can't win me by knocking down whoever's in your way. You can't buy me with temptations and promises of a better life. It just doesn't work that way..."

Danny's words cut off as he reached the stage in his crying where talking was near impossible. He had been looking at Vlad the entire time, but the boy's tears had blurred his vision and he couldn't tell how the elder was reacting. He only hoped the jerk was uncomfortable, it would serve him right.

He reached up to wipe at his tear stained face, not noticing Vlad approach. He wasn't ready for Vlad to appear in front of him when he looked up and he certainly wasn't ready for the man's hand to drop onto his shoulder and pull him forward.

"Wha-"

Danny couldn't finish, for the next thing he knew he was pulled into a hug and the hand on his shoulder moved to his back. His bed was on the tall side, so he was only centimeters shorter than Vlad while sitting up, making it easy to wrap his arms around the businessman's neck and drop his head down into his neck.

Though if you ever asked him, Danny had done no such thing. Heroes don't cry, and they certainly don't accept hugs from their archenemy. At least, that's what Danny had been led to believe.

"I'm being harsh, I get it," Vlad said begrudgingly, his aged voice rumbling in Danny's ears from being so close. "Just hear me out, Daniel. I want you to be happy, but I also want you safe. I promised that I'd protect you when we agreed you'd live with me, and I intend to keep my word."

Vlad brought his free hand to Daniel's head to brush away his unruly locks from what he could reach of the boy's face. In his arms, Daniel seemed so small and almost fragile. Not like a wild, unpredictable menace, or a strong, energetic hero, but a stressed young teenager with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

At the same time, Vlad marveled at how strong the boy truly was. For it to take this long to push him to this point, Daniel was either incredibly foolish, or more obviously, very self-disciplined and grounded.

Meanwhile Danny's emotions felt as if there was an intense conflict going on with every thought that came to his mind.

As much as he would have loved to remain where he was and ignore any all stress, he couldn't afford to. He tried to think of what Jazz would tell him if she were there, or even what Sam might advise at a time like this one.

He was cornered, like a rat. There was nowhere to run or hide anymore, and Danny hadn't felt so on the spot in a long while.

Danny forced himself to think of what his mom would tell him right now. Even though it went against his hero side, even though it didn't seem like the logical decision, he knew his mother would have wanted him to be safe, no matter what. It was just how Maddie Fenton lived, putting others first even under great pressure, making sure her family was safe even if she herself was not.

Feeling safe with your archenemy had to be as taboo as it could get for a hero, but Danny no longer cared. He just wanted to see his mom again, he didn't want his last memories of her to be seeing her in torment, trapped in a dark place without her loved ones. At least he had Vlad, Jazz and his friends, Maddie was all alone.

Danny sighed inaudibly and finally moved, mind made up. This wasn't a surrender, he promised himself, just a compromise. For the greater good, and safety of those he cared about.

Vlad felt the younger shift a bit, moving his face to breathe a little easier as he calmed. It was quiet and still for several tense, serious moments, before Danny finally replied. His voice came in a quiet whisper, almost a mumble.

"Do I have to change my name?"

Vlad's breath caught, his throat closing up for a second as he processed the child's words. He quickly forced himself to speak, his words coming out in a husky, almost emotional tone. It wouldn't do to lose his composure now.

"Officially, no." he replied, "Unofficially, it would be for the best to identify as a Masters, dear boy."

"I'm not so sure I want to be a Masters." came the soft and shaky reply. Vlad squeezed Danny's shoulder.

"Then trust me."

How such a short sentence could mean so much, Danny would never know. To put such faith in the man he hated so intensely only months ago felt wrong, but there was still a small voice telling him to give in and let Vlad have his chance.

The battle in his heart was taking its toll, and no sooner than his last tear had dried Danny was tearing up again. Vlad felt the moisture bleed through his collar and tensed.

"What did I do now?" he sighed.

Danny didn't answer, unsure what he would even say. His head was telling him that it wouldn't be permanent, that he would always be Danny Fenton and nothing important would change, but his heart was a different story. He didn't feel right trusting Vlad, but he needed him if Danny wanted his life to ever be normal again. He tightened his grip around Vlad's neck, knowing it would not really harm him.

 _"I want my mom."_ Danny said, almost as a confession. Vlad let out an exhausted breath.

"I know," was all the adult replied. It was all Danny needed, as well.

Vlad stood and held Danny securely for several minutes, waiting for the teen's breath to even out and his heart rate to calm. He'd secretly let some of his warm energy leak out and heat the room a bit, hoping it would help Daniel relax.

Once he started hiccuping, Daniel seemed to get a grip and slowly pulled away from the embrace. His eyes were red but he seemed much more calm now that he'd had a chance to let out the bottled up emotions inside him.

"Rest for a while, that fight completely drained you of energy," Vlad told him. "You'll need time to regain that strength."

Danny simply nodded, brushing his sweaty hair from his forehead. It wasn't as if he had much of a choice, so he decided he wouldn't argue Vlad's suggestion.

"We'll talk more later… Honestly," Vlad swept a gentle hand through Danny's hair, "You can't imagine how happy you've just made me, Daniel."

Vlad had only dreamed of getting to this point, of finally having Daniel submit and be his son. With all that had happened Vlad was beginning to believe it was not to be, but this day had now changed everything.

"So how is this going to work?" Danny said, ignoring Vlad's comment and picking up the discarded envelope.

"We will talk later, Daniel." Vlad repeated, moving to step away.

Danny regained some of his confidence in that moment and gripped the yellow paper, completely annoyed. He deserved to know his fate!

"I think I should know exactly how you're going to make my life hell, Plasmius!" he exclaimed, standing up. "Or are you going to hide that from me too, cheesehead?"

Vlad's eyes widened only a fraction, not expecting the outburst, but soon narrowed. His expression turned stern and cold.

"That reminds me..." Vlad muttered, walking forward.

Danny quickly dropped into a defensive stance but Vlad wasn't interested in fighting. He grabbed Danny by the arm and the younger immediately got a feeling of deja vu as Vlad jerked him to the side.

"Wait!"

Danny's plea went unheeded as Vlad brought down his hand on his ward's squirming backside. A second swat fell and Danny yelped, unprepared.

After a third smack Vlad released him and Danny instantly turned around, hands going to the spot while looking up in indignation. Vlad would have found the scene comical, if he wasn't so annoyed with the boy's behavior in the first place.

"Don't think I've forgotten what landed us in this situation in the first place," Vlad warned, "you're on thin ice Daniel, I suggest you take that into consideration today."

Danny crossed his arms, too embarrassed to speak up with a comeback. How did he always manage to get himself in trouble? And with _Vlad_ of all people?

"Sit and relax, someone will come get you for dinner," Vlad ordered, not missing Daniel's face fall dramatically as he realized he was confined till dinner. He wanted nothing more than to shower Daniel with reassurances and take back his words, but he knew that doing so would be a massive step in the wrong direction. For what he was trying to build with the child, he needed to be consistent.

As soon as Daniel was sitting once more Vlad turned away and forced himself to walk out. The last thing he wanted to do was leave the boy he'd literally just promised to adopt, but there would be time to bond later.

Right now, he had to schedule meetings and call lawyers, not to mention there would have to be a gala to introduce Daniel Masters to the world. There was so much to do, it made his head spin.

Vlad met Godfrey on his way back to his office and the older ghost followed him, questioning his employer all the way.

"Well? How'd the boy take it?" The butler asked, hope twinkling in his aged eyes.

Vlad stepped into his office for the second time that day. He didn't even scowl at the old man's nagging, he simply smirked in genuine satisfaction.

"He is not happy at the moment, but he soon will be." Vlad responded, folding his arms behind his back in a proud gesture.

"You're a parent," Godfrey said in realization, "I thought I'd never see the day."

"Don't get too excited," Vlad warned, "as far as Daniel is concerned this will only last for as long as his mother is held captive. Though I fully intend to make this arrangement permanent."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" asked the employee.

Vlad leaned on his desk in a leisurely stance. Daniel was not as high on his priority list as most would think. He still had a psychopathic ghost on the loose, and a crazed, confused woman gunning for his head.

"I'll earn his trust, of course." Vlad said simply, shrugging his shoulders. Daniel wasn't that difficult to figure out. He was like a children's book written in a foreign language, difficult to read at first, but easy to understand once you knew how.

"If you know anything about teenagers, sir, you might find that incredibly difficult..." Godfrey replied with a sigh. It seemed his employer has not learned as much while living with Daniel as the butler would have liked.

"Daniel isn't an ordinary teenager, Godfrey," Vlad reminded him, "he doesn't hide his feelings or purposefully rebel without a good reason. Daniel is special."

"But he's still a child, sir..." Godfrey said gently, "Under all the heroism and heart, he still needs a father."

"Believe me, I will do my best to be twice the father Jack Fenton ever was."

Godfrey nearly facepalmed, but thought the display would be too unsightly. The ghost believed that why Danny could trust Vlad the little bit that he did was because Vlad was...Vlad.

Danny didn't need a multimillion dollar home with a professional chef, or a mentor to teach him how to use his powers. He needed Vlad, for all that he was and could be.

Vlad was the one who cured Danny's nightmares, saved him when Ivix took over his mind, and agreed to keep him safe and hidden in his home when Danny had nowhere else to go. But the man's heart was still so cold that the thought of those things being important to Danny was the furthest from his mind.

"Of course, sir." was all Godfrey replied. He excused himself and left the room, more determined than ever to get the two halfas to trust each other.

If he couldn't do it through Vlad, he'd have to convince Danny himself. He wasn't sure exactly what state the boy was in right now, but Godfrey couldn't imagine it would be a good idea to leave the boy alone for too long. Danny had not only just gotten caught sneaking out, but he'd also had his life drastically change, and such a thing happening so suddenly was never easy on a teen's psyche.

Godfrey approached Danny's room and as soon as he was within ghostly earshot, rose into the air, careful to keep his energy use low and harder to detect. It wouldn't do to have Danny's ghost sense go off and disturb him if he was sleeping.

The butler poked his head into the room using his intangibility and looked around. At first, he didn't see Danny at all but soon was able to catch a small glimpse of where he was seated almost entirely out of view.

Danny was sitting on the floor beside the bed, with his back to the door. The bed blocked the view of his body almost entirely, except that his wild hair was just tall enough to be seen over the space themed sheets and pillows.

He didn't appear to be bawling his eyes out, definitely a plus, but the halfa did seem a bit depressed. So, Godfrey took the chance and knocked on the door, not bothering to wait for an answer before walking in.

"Mr. Masters has just told me the news," Godfrey said, opting to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "I thought I'd see how you were faring."

"I'm fine." Danny mumbled, not moving from his spot on the floor. He'd tucked his knees to his chest and buried his face into them, making his voice hard to hear. Thankfully, Godfrey had ghost hearing, and understood him clearly.

"Forgive me, but last I checked one seated on the floor in a heap does not emulate a good mood."

Danny huffed agitatedly, pulling his head up just enough to glare in the butler's direction. Godfrey just smiled sweetly.

"I thought you were angry with me for sneaking out just like everyone else," Danny accused. "Why the sudden sympathy?"

"Oh believe me, I'm still unhappy about that," Godfrey replied in a neutral tone, "But I think I'll leave it up to Mr. Masters to deal with you."

"Whatever."

"On the subject of my employer..." Godfrey continued, moving pillows off of the bed to straighten up the sheet.

"I don't want to talk about it." Danny grumbled. He jolted when he felt the sheet move against his back and begrudgingly moved to stand. "Besides, I don't have a choice in anything anymore so what does it matter what I think?"

"You always have a choice," Godfrey reminded him, "it's just difficult sometimes to make the right ones."

Danny stayed silent for a moment, letting the advice sink in. He couldn't imagine anything good coming out of Vlad becoming his guardian, but was it for the greater good?

"How do I know I made the right decision?" Danny asked. His arm came up and he grasped at his hair in frustration. "How do I know for sure he won't betray me?"

Godfrey sighed, finishing off his chore by setting the pillows back in their proper places. His boss was a hard man to predict, but for the sake of the child, he couldn't bear to crush his hopes.

"He won't." Godfrey stated firmly, "As Mr. Masters has told you himself, you are special."

"But _why?!"_ Danny cried, "Why me? Other than my abilities I can't understand why Vlad would want me by his side so desperately. Why go through all this trouble for _me?"_

Godfrey's normally kind and gentle features turned saddened as he watched Danny fight within himself. There was a war inside the boy, with one side clinging to what was left of his normal life, and the other pushing for a new future.

"Why don't you ask him?" The elder wondered aloud. Danny stiffened and didn't reply. "Just have a conversation, a serious chat to clear the air between you two."

Danny shrugged, sitting down on his bed with his back to Godfrey. It just couldn't be so simple, not with Vlad. Both the halfas were stubborn and passionate enough to achieve their goals, but that's about where the similarities ended.

Still, that nagging voice in his head kept pushing, wanting Danny to try and be happy for once, to let an adult take care of the hard work and truly let himself relax. He wished Jazz or friends could tell him what to do, or that some sign would let him know what was the right choice.

Danny was slowly coming to realize that difficult decisions often weren't easily discernable as completely right or completely wrong. He just had to trust that in the long run, he'd chosen a successful route.

"What if he doesn't give me the answers I need? What if just proves to me he's still a villain?" Danny finally replied.

Godfrey smiled, though Danny couldn't see it. The teen could be more mature than adults at times, but other times, his true age and naïvety shone through, often when he was feeling vulnerable.

"Do you really continue to put your trust in him based on who he is right now?" Godfrey said, continuing to explain when Danny cocked his head to side in confusion. "You see the good in people Mr. Fenton, the optimistic possibilities over the negative reality. That's why the people in this town see you as a symbol of _hope."_

"Trust that Mr. Masters will make good decisions when it counts, and go from there." Godfrey told him, "You've already influenced him more than I or any of the other staff ever could."

Danny didn't respond to the ghost, too busy thinking. Godfrey waited for a few moments and when it became apparent that Danny had truly taken his words to heart, the butler slipped out of the room as silently as he could.

Walking down the hall as quiet as a shadow, Godfrey smiled, content that he'd planted the seed. Now, it was up to Danny to make it grow.

Trust is hard to build without faith. One must have faith that the other will stay true, often without any evidence that they won't be betrayed. But without fighting for the good in people and taking the initial leap of faith, the world would be without happiness and trust.

Godfrey believed that wholeheartedly, and had confidence that in the end, Danny and Vlad would win the fight against their enemy and break down the walls between them. Without even knowing it they already leaned on each other, they just needed to push away some of their pride and admit it.

The butler sighed one final time and headed to the kitchen. The least he could do was make sure the halfas each got their favorites for dinner today.

If greasy, unhealthy food was what it took to put the youngest in a good mood, so be it!

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Danny deals with his new reality and renews his efforts to gain control of his ruined life.** _

* * *

 


	25. At New Dawn

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 25: At New Dawn**

Danny felt numb. For all intents and purposes, he could barely feel his own body. Sounds were muffled, as if he were deep underwater and struggling to understand the world above the surface.

Vlad had won, and Danny was now going to be his son. It didn't feel real, especially when the day had begun so normally, as if he hadn't become a Masters only yesterday.

Vlad hadn't woken him up or been at breakfast, instead leaving Danny a note saying he'd gotten called in to one of his companies. He'd said it was some kind of emergency, which would normally be interesting, but Danny couldn't bring himself to care.

Jazz had taken to camping out in the library, locking herself up with a pile of books to pass the time. Danny was convinced she was ignoring both of the halfas, but he was never completely sure when it came to his sister.

He couldn't help but feel depressed, and in his mind Danny had every right to. On top of all that was already going on, with the fight he hadn't yet recovered from, his sister coming to the mansion, not knowing what Ivix had next up his sleeve...it finally seemed to be taking a toll on his psyche.

Danny was honestly glad that Vlad hadn't made an appearance yet, he wasn't sure he could handle the man's gloating. Besides, he needed the break from Vlad's no-nonsense lessons to relax. The teen still wasn't able to hold his ghost form for long, so low was his energy since yesterday.

He wasn't able to get out of everything though, as evidenced by his presence in the music room with his tutor. Although Danny had been warming up to the idea of playing the instrument, he didn't feel up to giving his best today. Problem is, it definitely showed.

"That's the third time you've forgotten the rest here," Sophie corrected him, pointing to the symbol on the page. "Something keeps taking your focus, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, sorry," Danny replied, frustration temporarily overpowering his sadness. "I just don't get why the little stuff _matters_ so much. It sounds the same either way and I'm getting all the notes right, so what difference does it make?"

Sophie hesitated, surprised at her pupil's outburst. Normally Danny took critique very well, confident in his ability to try harder no matter what.

She took a moment to take in his tense and shaky posture, as well as his dull yet bitter gaze and sullen frown. It was safe to assume now that the short beginner's folk song in front of them was not what was truly bothering Danny. What was, however, remained a complete mystery.

"Details mean everything, if you take the time to notice them," Sophie said. "They reveal the true nature of the piece. Like seemingly insignificant moments in a person's life, you don't notice how they shape your character until you take a second look at them."

Danny had conversed with Jazz more than enough to know when someone was implying something important. He focused hard on what Miss Cienfuegos said and found he didn't like what he was hearing.

Danny's character was determined by the points in his life where he was pushed to the edge of his capabilities and either succeeded or lost. The most powerful example being his run-in with his older, evil self. An event he would never forget, as much as he might want to.

But, as he often found himself doing lately, his mind wandered to Vlad. He didn't know much about him other than what his family or Vlad himself had told him. The man seemed to know everything about Danny, but all the teen really knew was what he had done after getting ghost powers.

Danny began to think of what moments might define Vlad's character. There were quite a few evil schemes, the reunion, the Plasmius Maximus incident, and so much more.

However, alongside the images of Vlad's cocky smirk and evil laughter, there were other scenes entering the mix. Ones Danny had been content to forget about until now.

Vlad noticing the issues with Danny's core when he'd first arrived, and finding a solution. Vlad discovering the teenager's hypersensitivity to Blood Blossoms and destroying his own supply of them. The man holding the projector device he'd made to counter Danny's nightmares and prevent Ivix from taking control of him again...

All were instances where Vlad had been selfless. And though the cruel, cold-hearted half ghost he'd met at the reunion still lingered, Danny was certain he no longer played a primary role in Vlad Masters' life.

Still, he couldn't help but feel like he was very much in Vlad's evil clutches in that moment, being pushed into a corner and made to choose an uncomfortable fate for the sake of his mother's life. It was too close to what Vlad used to be like, how he used to operate.

 _'Maybe he never really did stop scheming,'_ Danny thought, _'Maybe I just stalled the inevitable...'_

"What if the piece turns out to be completely different than what you thought it was, after taking another look at it?" Danny wondered, his frown deepening. "You've been playing it all wrong, and the fault is on you. How are you supposed to just pick it back up again and start over?"

"Then it's time to approach it from another angle!" Sophie said without missing a beat. Danny's eyebrows creased together in uncertainty.

"What you've done before clearly hasn't worked," she continued to explain, "therefore it's about time to find a different way to go at it. Find a new way to achieve your goals, one that takes into account _all_ of what the piece truly is."

Vlad didn't see the world in black and white. He didn't see it as good or bad, nor did he have a need for a high sense of morals. Vlad saw only shades of gray in the sky, and people on the Earth to manipulate as pawns. Danny just had to play the game, and make Vlad see that there was so much _more_ to the world than an eternal chess match between God and man!

Danny's bright, sky-colored eyes glittered with the light of revelation and hope. The world seemed to take on a brighter hue than when he'd first seen it that morning, and he smirked for the first time in what felt like ages. The ghost boy squeezed his hands into determined fists.

"I have to work with him. _All_ of him," Danny whispered, seeming to be looking at something very far away in the distance. Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?"

Danny didn't waste time to answer and stood abruptly from his seat. The bench below him wobbled dangerously with the force and Sophie scrambled to stabilize it. Danny began running towards the doors and looked back at her just long enough to shout.

"Thanks Miss C, you're the best!"

The woman simply looked on in surprise, only coming back to reality when the slam of the doors signaled Danny's departure. Sophie sighed softly, shaking her head. At least his spirits seemed to be lifted again.

* * *

Danny jogged up the stairs and into the hall where his bedroom was located, renewed determination fueling his steps. He phased into his room without a sound, not knowing if Jazz was in her room on the same floor and not wanting to risk her hearing him.

Vlad wanted a perfect half-ghost son? Fine, but this would be done Danny's way. If Vlad was able to make ultimatums and demands, so could he.

Danny all but ran into his unnecessarily huge closet and walked to the back, where he'd stashed away every evil suit and deadly tie Vlad had bought for him. Only once had he actually worn any of them, and he wasn't eager to go through the experience again. But now that he had a good reason, it wasn't as horrible an idea as it normally would be.

He avoided every mirror or other reflective object as he changed, afraid he'd die of embarrassment. Sam would definitely think he looked like a prissy rich kid, and if he were honest with himself, he did feel like one at times. Vlad spoiled him rotten, and Danny didn't even want to _think_ about how much this suit had cost.

When he finally looked at himself in the mirror, he almost gagged, though admittedly he didn't think he looked too bad. It was a much better fit than the previous suit his parents had bought him, this one being an inky black with blue pinstripes and a tie to match.

At least the scars on his torso were now fully hidden under the collar and tie, that was definitely a plus. Danny didn't want to think about his look any more than he had to though, so he quickly moved on. There was something else bothering him, anyway.

He dropped a hand onto his head and sighed at how long and unruly his hair had gotten. If he let it grow much longer he'd be sporting a ponytail just like Vlad. The image nearly made him faint.

"Yeah, that's not going to work." Danny thought out loud. But cutting it himself was absolutely not an option. Not unless he wanted to give his bullies more things to tease him about.

Deciding to go out and hunt down the resident old man, Danny transformed into his ghost form and exited the room. As Phantom, he could both track down Godfrey's signature and hide his current fancy getup. He didn't need the butler to be more suspicious than he already would be.

Danny was able to find Godfrey relatively quickly, as he was overseeing the changing of decorations in the dining room. The closer it got to a meal time, the more likely it was that the staff member would be looking over the necessary preparations. If nothing else, Godfrey was very thorough in doing his job.

The young man turned both visible and tangible as he entered the dining room and approached the group of employees, mostly ghost maids, going about their duties. They didn't acknowledge him for the most part, a majority of them preferring to remain focused on their task, but he did receive a few smiles and greetings before Godfrey finally noticed him. The stately ghost smiled warmly as Danny came forward.

"Good afternoon, young Mr. Masters!"

Danny tensed, his next step halting for a stunned moment. He'd almost forgotten what it was he was putting on the line with his ambitious change in appearance and approach. The title the elder had used made him hesitate for a brief moment, thinking over what he was going to do.

His slight costume change was just to prove to Vlad that he was willing to compromise, to pick his battles and play the game the man had set up. What he _really_ wanted was to talk to the halfa when they saw each other at lunch. Miss Cienfuegos had inspired him to try his hand at playing by Vlad's rules, but whether he would succeed or not was an entirely different matter.

There were a few things that needed to change if the two were going to continue living together, and Vlad seemed to be the last person that would bring it up. Danny was hopeful that if he played his cards right, something good just might come out of this lousy morning.

Finding his confidence again, Danny continued to Godfrey's side of the room, a small smile plastered forcefully on his face. If Godfrey had noticed his hesitation he didn't show it, only smiling pleasantly in return as Danny neared.

"Mr Masters will be returning for lunch, is there anything I can help you with right now?" said Godfrey. Danny nodded, watching the other employees go about redecorating the room.

"Actually," Danny replied. "I was hoping you'd help me out. I was thinking of cutting my hair..."

Godfrey seemed to move at superhuman speeds, gripping Danny's shoulders firmly and guiding him back out of the room once again. He had a proud sort of twinkle in his eyes that Danny didn't understand, and seemed all too happy to push him out into the hall. The teen didn't protest, simply letting himself be guided in the direction of the servant's quarters.

"We'll have to work hard with this, yes indeed," Godfrey said crisply, seemingly speaking to himself. "Been waiting an eternity to get my hands on this wild mess..."

Danny was ushered into a large but simple restroom, after which Godfrey proceeded to get the boy settled on a stool. It was situated in front of a mirror, so Danny could see the elder move around behind him. As he gathered up things him needed from around the room, Godfrey spoke to Danny in a chipper, conversational voice.

"I will have this done before sir gets home, I simply must see his reaction to this!" he exclaimed. "By the way, what prompted this sudden decision?"

Danny toyed with the idea of telling Godfrey about his plan, but the thought did not last long. He didn't want to risk Vlad finding out about Danny's plot to confront him and then shooting him down in the man's own, fruitloop-y fashion. The less the butler knew, the better.

"I just figured it was time for a little change," Danny lied. "Besides, Vlad's always telling me I should look sharp, I guess today's the day."

Godfrey approached him from behind, wielding scissors. His wrinkled face always seemed to calm Danny. The ghost could ask him to drink poison and the teen would not be alarmed at all.

"Today's the day indeed," Godfrey replied, tilting Danny's chin until he was satisfied the boy's head was straight. "After seeing you, I'm sure your fa-"

"Yeah!" Danny quickly cut him off. He couldn't bear to hear Godfrey use that title in reference to Vlad. He may be playing a Masters for now, but it didn't seem right to call Vlad his father. Even if it was someone else saying it.

"I'll make the cheesehead's day, that's for sure," he finished, trying not to sound as awkward as he felt. Godfrey simply hummed in response, and Danny relaxed a bit.

Once again, luck seemed to be on his side, for Godfrey either didn't think anything of Danny's outburst, or wouldn't address it. For a few moments there was only the soft snipping sound of Godfrey's scissors cutting away at white locks of hair.

As Danny sat patiently still, he felt anxiety grow in the pit of his stomach. He'd been upset when Vlad presented him with the adoption papers in the first place, sure, but it hasn't seemed entirely real until now.

Not only was he skeptical of Vlad's moral code, but having seen his future and what transpired when Danny had lived with the billionaire left him paranoid. He knew it was unfair to Vlad, who he'd promised a clean slate, but there was a lot more than his comfort at stake. The more Danny thought about it, the more stressed out he became.

There was still hope, however, and Danny firmly believed in it. Vlad _had_ changed. Even if he was the only one who could see it, it remained an obvious fact. Vlad was different now, as if he really cared for and tried to help Danny. If only Danny could teach Vlad to extend that care to _others,_ he could confidently say he'd done his job as the good guy.

Having met Vlad in his evil self's timeline, Danny knew the man was capable of seeing the error of his ways. But this Vlad hadn't gotten his ghost half ripped from him, or gone through a worldwide catastrophe at the hands of Danny's unending grief.

This Vlad had everything he wanted at the snap of his fingers, and power like no one else in the ghost zone. And now, he also had Danny, who he had been scheming and plotting for since they'd met.

 _'But he's still missing something,'_ Danny thought, _'he doesn't have my mom, yet."_

And if Danny had anything to say about it, Vlad never would. But the teenager firmly believed that his parents were the keys to Vlad's neverending bad decisions and evil plans. If Vlad could learn to let go, maybe he'd finally be happy.

The younger had already made a deal to end the schemes against Jack Fenton, but as far as Vlad was concerned, Maddie was fair game. So, Danny had to make sure that when he confronted Vlad, he didn't leave until his mother was completely off the table. If Vlad could manipulate and strategize to get what he wanted, so could Danny.

The ghost boy was jolted out of his thoughts by a knocking at the door, to which Godfrey promptly bid the person to enter and a maid appeared in the doorway. She bowed her head respectfully at Danny before addressing the butler.

"Mr. Masters has returned home," she informed them. "And it is almost lunchtime, so I've come to fetch both you and young Mr. Masters. Miss Fenton has chosen to eat lunch elsewhere, today."

"Thank you, Nina," Godfrey replied. "We're nearly done here."

As the girl departed, Godfrey finished the final touches on Danny's hair, before gesturing to the mirror in front of them. Danny tilted his head around, getting a view of his glowing white from all angles. It was nice and short again, but Godfrey had graciously kept his bangs long, as Danny liked them.

"Now, off to the dining room with you," Godfrey ordered lightly, "I must ensure that everything is in order in the kitchen."

Danny didn't object, deciding to no longer delay the inevitable, and hurried out of the room. He waited until he was far away from Godfrey so that he could transform back into his human half without being seen. Straightening his tie as best he could, Danny proceeded to the dining room.

Once he arrived at the double doors, he poked his head inside using intangibility. He spotted Vlad right away, sitting in his usual spot at the head of the table with his phone in hand.

Danny righted himself in front of the door once more and entered. Vlad didn't immediately look up, instead keeping his focus down at his cellphone as he greeted the other.

"Good afternoon," Vlad said, "I trust you were able to successfully keep up your schedule this morning without me...?"

As soon as Danny was seated he looked down at his lap and answered, trying not to sound awkward. It seemed he was doing that quite a lot, lately.

"Yeah, I guess."

Plates of food were placed in front of them, but Danny barely noticed. He suddenly didn't have an appetite at all.

"What are you doing?" Danny questioned, raising an eyebrow at Vlad's phone. "Seriously, don't you ever stop working?"

Vlad must have found him amusing, for he chuckled a bit before graciously putting away the device. With the phone successfully hidden within his suit pocket, he finally began to look at Danny.

"Apologies, Daniel. I'm just making final arrangements for your adop-"

Vlad's voice cut off, and he was left speechless as he finally took in Danny's appearance. Danny couldn't help but let a smirk slip through his defenses at the normally suave and collected man's lack of words.

"Your old guy cat got your tongue, V-Man?" Danny taunted.

That seemed to wake him up and Vlad immediately cleared his throat. He blinked a few times, assuring himself he was certainly not dreaming.

"I don't suppose I should feel the need to ask your music teacher if you actually showed up this morning..." Said Vlad. He had a hard time believing Danny actually managed to tie a windsor knot around his neck successfully within an hour. Not to mention cut his hair.

"Hey!"

"Regardless," Vlad continued. "You clean up quite nicely, little badger."

Danny fought down a blush of embarrassment. He wasn't the attention seeking type, so having the spotlight on him just didn't feel right. Luckily, he had other plans he could concentrate on.

"Thanks..." came his half hearted reply. Danny took an inaudible deep breath. "Listen, Vlad, we need to talk."

Vlad raised an eyebrow, setting down his fork gently. His gaze held suspicion as it focused on Danny.

"If this is about yesterday, you know I had no other choice-"

"Of course you had other choices!" Danny cut in, irritating the man beside him. "You could always just, you know, _not_ become my guardian!"

Vlad's eyes narrowed in warning but Danny wouldn't allow himself to back down. Besides, this was _his_ life they were discussing, not Vlad Masters'.

The billionaire's reply was more forceful than the last, his words adopting a sharp bite. Still, Danny held no self preservation.

"If you would simply _listen_ to me, and stop seeing everything I do as either good or evil-!"

"Maybe, I don't know-" Danny interrupted once again. _"Because you're a bad guy?!"_

"Daniel, I'm warning you," Vlad said in a deep, angered growl. "Interrupt me again, and you'll regret it."

Finally the boy crossed his arms in silent protest, still annoyed but no longer quite so suicidal. Vlad took the brief reprieve to breathe and calm himself before speaking.

"It is for the best that I become your legal guardian. It has already been over a month since you were brought here, if this continues to be a long term alliance..." Vlad sighed, feeling a headache begin to form. "I just need you to trust me, my boy. This is in your best interest, I promise you."

Danny felt angry, sad and frustrated seemingly all at once. How could something be for the best if it felt so wrong?

He had to make this situation more bearable. Otherwise, he'd end up depressed and alone, like a caged bird. Sam would probably find such a thing poetic in some way, but Danny just found it sad.

"I have conditions," Danny said suddenly. He avoided Vlad's eyes, not wanting to see his expression and lose his confidence.

"Smart move, child," Vlad mockingly praised. "But why should I have to comply with any of your demands?"

Danny frowned, feeling about ready to pop, like a balloon under too much pressure. He grit his teeth together, thinking quickly of a convincing answer.

"You've never raised a kid before," Danny pointed out. "You're at a disadvantage, fruitloop. And really, there's nothing stopping me from having fun now that the great Vlad Masters is in charge of me. My kind of fun just might include redecorating the Packers Room the _ghostly way_ or taking over the kitchen for a day or two...who knows?"

Vlad glared intensely at Danny's innocent smile. The boy's conscience was too heroic to go through with such things, he had to be bluffing.

"You're honestly threatening me with childish misbehavior?" Vlad questioned with a scoff. "I think I've already proven I can handle even multiple of you teenagers."

"Can you?" Danny taunted. He thought hard on what could really push Vlad's buttons. "Say, how long do you think it would take the Guys in White to tear this place down to rubble if they get an anonymous call that there's ghost activity in this place?"

That seemed to hit the mark, making Vlad tense for a moment before scowling. His eyes lit up brightly for a few seconds, their crimson hues burning with anger. Danny held his calm and guiltless gaze.

"I mean, those guys work fast, especially for a ghost emergency," Danny added. "Building a brand new house might not put a guy like you in debt, but you can't speed up the time it'll take to construct it..."

Vlad's eyes flashed red and Danny knew he'd won. The man's glare was intense, but Danny did not back down. After a few tense moments, the older halfa exhaled loudly.

"What did you have in mind?"

Danny's smirk faded slightly as his mood went from mischievous to serious. He was glad Vlad was willing to listen now, but also worried about how he would respond.

"Well, if we're doing this, being.. _.family_ I mean," Danny began, "we have to do it right. That means no more hiding important stuff from me, or trying to make me your evil apprentice, and we have to act casual around each other. You know, like normal families."

"I think it's rather obvious that neither of us truly understand the 'normal' family lifestyle," Vlad scoffed. "but I'll play along. That means that you, dear boy, have to be a proper representative of my name. You must be respectful and obedient, as well as be able to come to me with any needs or desires, as it will be my job as your parent to fulfill them."

"And if I'm not respectful or obedient?" Danny challenged.

"Same as always." Vlad shrugged. "you'll be punished."

Danny's shoulders slumped a bit, as he was secretly hoping Vlad would turn over a new leaf with his embarrassing disciplinary methods. Deciding it was a battle for another day, Danny continued on.

"I want to go back to school. At Casper High."

Vlad hardly needed to think. "No."

"Why not?!" Danny complained, his words melting together with his growing frustration.

"The simple answer? I can't protect you." replied Vlad. "I believe I've already explained this to you; I wouldn't be upholding my end of the deal if I allow you to be put in harm's way."

The ghost boy's hands moved to grip the edges of the seat, his knuckles turning white at the force. Why didn't Vlad understand?

"But I have ghost powers too, remember? I don't need you breathing down my neck all the time!" Danny reminded him. Vlad frowned, feeling annoyed that he was just getting to know the teen and was already going to lose precious time with him at this rate.

"Ivix has already proven to be a formidable opponent," stated Vlad, "or have we conveniently forgotten what event led up to this moment in the first place?"

Danny's cheeks grew hot as he was forced to recall his failed attempt to fight the evil ghost. Still, he felt he wasn't asking for much, yet.

"It's just _school!"_ Danny whined, "I want to see my friends, and feel like a _normal_ teenager again."

The sound of the younger halfa's complaining tone was like nails on a chalkboard to Vlad, making him grit his teeth in annoyance and nearly go to plug his ears. There was absolutely no way that would be allowed in the Masters household, no sir.

"I can't understand you," Vlad said, sounding as casual as possible. Inside, he was borderline livid.

"What?" came Danny's confused reply, followed by that awful tone, _"Why not?"_

The billionaire wanted nothing more than to cringe and blast the boy's voice box to pieces, but that wouldn't be a very appropriate action for a new father. Vlad tried again, this time deciding to be blunt.

"I can't understand you when you're whining."

Danny seemed even more confused for all of a moment before finally understanding, and shooting an insulted glare Vlad's way. But his face still reddened a bit more, so the man knew he had gotten the message regardless.

"I'm _not-"_ Danny caught himself this time, quickly starting over. "I'm not whining. I just think it's been way too long since I've been to school."

"Oh how little your faith in me has become," Vlad sighed. "Do you honestly think I hadn't thought of that earlier? Your school is under the impression that you are quarantined with a horribly contagious disease, and are being tutored until further notice."

"You _can't_ do that!" Danny exclaimed. When Vlad didn't answer for a few moments, the teen huffed in anger. Right, the guy 'couldn't understand' his tone. "You're not my parent, how could you have gotten away with that?"

"I'm the mayor," Vlad reminded him simply. "Is it really that difficult to believe I called your school on your behalf?"

Danny wasn't sure if he wanted to scream, cry, or both. Either way, he knew a lost cause when he saw one. And he was absolutely certain Vlad was going to remain stubborn on this particular matter. He was better off quitting while he was ahead.

"Fine, you win," Danny admitted. "I'll keep doing lessons with you."

"What a relief," Vlad muttered sarcastically. He took a sip of his now lukewarm tea, hoping it would still work to calm him a bit. He would have even taken a few stress balls at that point, anything to loosen the tenseness in his body. Vlad set down his teacup. "Is that all?"

Danny shook his head, looking downward. "One more thing..."

Vlad nearly rolled his eyes, but noticing the boy's change in demeanor he sobered and waited patiently for Danny to continue. The hero took to fidgeting in his seat for a bit before finding the confidence to speak again.

"If I stay here as your son... I want you to give up on marrying my mom."

At first, the man didn't make a sound. He was not quite in shock, but seemed instead to be very deep in thought. But that all changed in the next moment, as he threw his head back and began to laugh. Danny frowned.

"I'm serious!" cried Danny. Vlad wiped at imaginary tears and once again reeled in his emotions. His eyes still had a look of mirth to them but for the most part he'd calmed down rather quickly.

"My entire existence has revolved around Maddie Fenton for longer than you have even been _alive,"_ Vlad snapped, "and you think you can just ask me to throw it all away? You're adorable, Daniel, really."

"You're already here," he continued. "Regardless of whether or not your mother is in my sights, you will soon be my son. Face it, boy, I already have you."

Danny's blood was boiling. If Vlad truly loved his mom, he wouldn't continue to hurt her and her family as he did. The man would be happier if he could just let go of the idea that he could convince Maddie Fenton that she was meant for him.

"What would it take for you to give up? What do you want from me?" Danny pushed, not ready to admit defeat. Vlad scoffed.

"I don't need anything from you, period. Now drop this nonsense already," he replied.

"I can't," said the youngest. "And I know you, there's always something you want. So go ahead cheesehead, you get one request- I get my mom safe from you. That's the deal."

Vlad realized he wasn't going to get the halfa to simply drop the subject, so he decided to try another tactic. If Danny was going to throw him a condition he couldn't commit to, Vlad would do the same.

"Fine!" said Vlad, "I'll leave Maddie alone, and even be a 'normal' parent. But in return...you must refer to me as 'father' from now on!"

He watched as Daniel's face paled, feeling victorious. Vlad smirked in satisfaction as he noticed the teen's eyes widen significantly and his lips pursed together. He knew Danny would never willingly use such a title in reference to a 'villain', too absorbed was he in his own Good or Bad view of the world to actually consider-

"I'll do it."

Vlad froze. Daniel wasn't looking down anymore, but staring up at him through his long lashes, determination brightening his cool toned eyes. It took Vlad several moments to get a grip.

"No, you won't," Vlad answered dumbly, "I know you won't. You're too naive to actually find the will to call me-"

"Father," Danny finished, ignoring the fruitloop's starstruck look, "That's what you don't get, Plasmius. I'll do _anything_ for my family, if it means they get to live safely and happily."

As much as he had longed to hear Danny use that name, Vlad still wasn't completely convinced. He hadn't gotten to be the man he was today by being trusting and easily manipulated, that was for certain. Even if the boy beside him happened to be a heroic angel, Vlad still had his doubts.

"You've always been quick to distrust me," Vlad accused, "but how do I know you'll keep your word? Don't forget what you're asking of me in return, Daniel."

"I promise you I'll keep my word," Danny said, "and believe me, I don't break my promises."

Confliction reigned in Vlad's heart for a few moments longer, his romantic love for Maddie battling his paternal love for Daniel in an all-out brawl. He'd already given up Jack, now it seemed he'd be left with nothing. He looked down at Daniel.

He did have something though. Or rather, someone. And that someone was incredibly, absolutely, undeniably special. Indeed, Daniel had changed him more than anyone else in his entire life, and he'd done it in a matter of weeks. No one else cared enough to try as hard as Daniel did. For that, Vlad could say he owed the brat. Just this once.

"Alright. You have a deal."

Danny's face brightened in relief. His chest felt as if a weight had been lifted from it, finally allowing him to take deep, calming breaths. Vlad looked down at the table and sighed, raising a hand to snap his fingers quickly.

"We'll need these reheated immediately. All this talk has let our lunch get cold," Vlad muttered. Godfrey entered the room soon after and cleared their plates, sneaking Danny an approving nod at his new look before retreating back to the kitchen.

"I think I've lost my appetite, actually..." Danny admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"You are not skipping meals. You're much too thin as is. Besides," Vlad said. "You still need to regain the energy you lost in the Ghost Zone."

"But Vl- _Father,_ just once isn't a big deal." Danny nearly slipped, but caught himself quickly enough. It helped that he didn't use 'father' when he spoke to Jack Fenton, the ghost hunter would always be known as his dad. If he separated the two synonyms in his mind, it made the situation just a bit more bearable.

Now if Vlad had asked Danny to call him 'dad', it might not have been so easy. There was only one set of parents in his life right now.

Vlad raised an eyebrow and Danny groaned, remembering their previous conversation. "I'm not whining."

"Surely not."

Their food made a reappearance and Vlad stubbornly waited until Danny took a bite of a pastry before eating his own. The teenager almost laughed at how the cheesehead had changed, going from dark, brooding archenemy to strict but protective ally.

"Thanks," Danny said suddenly. "For taking the deal, I mean."

Vlad looked at him with an expression Danny couldn't quite identify. He seemed as if he were looking at a puzzle, unable to completely figure it out. Eventually the billionaire just chuckled, shaking his head before replying in a tired tone.

"You're welcome, son."

* * *

**_Next Chapter: Living the high life isn't as glamorous as it seems..._ **

* * *

 


	26. Fight For Fathers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since we are getting to the point where this story will follow original update schedules, I have to let you know that normally a chapter comes out once a month. If there's enough demand I can try my best to post more often but until then you can see the next chapter's progress on my ff profile under the same pen name!

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 26: Fight for Fathers**

Amity Park had always been buzzing with activity, no matter what season or time. And now with all of the talk of ghosts haunting the town, it had become somewhat of a tourist attraction to those travelling through. The new mayor had deemed it 'good for business', but to the local ghost hunters? Well...

The constant ghost attacks were, at the very least, inconvenient. Summer vacation was coming up soon, and both Sam and Tucker were so behind in their schoolwork they were sure to be headed to summer school come July.

Danny had made it all look deceptively easy, catching ghosts left and right with or without backup. The two hunters never realized just how many enemies Danny must've had to fight in a day, and how exhausting it really was.

It was only midday, and both high schoolers were panting for breath as they ran full speed from the lunch period they had just ditched. Having heard the news of a ghost attack not too far away, the two had quickly geared up and set out in the direction of a local stripmall.

Technus was their target, according to Tucker's new ghost tracking program. He had needed to make dozens of modifications to his tech to make up for Danny's missing abilities. It was strange to be unaware of whether a ghost was around or not, what with Danny's dramatic shiver usually being a dead giveaway.

Tucker led the way to the source of trouble, glancing at his PDA every few moments to ensure Technus hadn't moved. Normally, he wouldn't be too worried. Technus didn't exactly have a reputation for being too bright.

What really caused him to worry was the small, blinking orange dot beside the ghost. That was a tracker Tucker had snuck onto the Fenton's GAV two weeks ago. Tucker's palm grew sweaty as he hurried down the street, unsure of what they would find.

Luckily, there wasn't much damage done when the two arrived. Tucker quickly mourned the loss of a couple laptops and radios, but Technus just seemed to be messing around more than anything else.

"See any of them?" Sam asked him. Tucker quickly turned around in a swift scope of the area before shaking his head.

"Maybe they're chasing another ghost?" he wondered.

With a loud _'boom!'_ , Technus dropped a car down onto the parking lot, right in front of a frightened family trying to run away. With a twisted grin, he used his powers to turn on another vehicle behind them, preparing to speed it their way.

Sam moved first, shooting a blaster at Technus' raised arm as she ran towards the action. Adrenaline fueled her speed and she raced as quickly as she could over to the parking lot, blasts of green energy pouring from her gun all the while.

Seeing her intentions, Tucker ducked right, leaving Sam to the ghost distracting and moving towards the family. As he directed them towards the safest route out of the maze of cars, he heard a grunt behind him.

Sam was kneeling on the ground, panting hard. Technus had taken some hard hits, but he was still strong enough to encase a white truck in green energy, raising it high over Sam's crouched form.

"Hey, Radio Head!" yelled Tucker.

Technus snarled and jerked his head to Tucker. His mouth twitched into a grin once again and he flung the truck at the boy in a swift flick of his arms. Tucker dropped and rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding a trip to the hospital, or worse. He blew out dramatically and stood up, planting his hands to the back of his neck.

"That's it, Tech?" he taunted. "No unwarranted speech? Not even a 'boo'?"

Tucker did his best to hide his relief as he spotted Sam get up and adjust herself behind Technus. As the girl began to reach for her Fenton Thermos, Technus answered.

"I've gotten much better, no thanks to you brats!" he cried, pointing at Tucker. "I haven't even mentioned my plans to enslave the human race yet!"

Tucker rolled his eyes before sparing another glance at his friend. Sam was steadying her aim, nearly ready to suck the ghost into her thermos. Just a few more seconds...

Suddenly, a bright green light grabbed all three persons' attention. It came from the side, growing brighter as it neared. Tucker squinted at the object and tried to figure out what it could be, until he heard Sam shout.

"Tuck, it's Jack!"

That was all Tucker needed, throwing himself away from Technus and behind the nearest car. Staying down on the ground with his arms raised over his head, he braced as best he could and waited. A crash could be heard and Tucker was forced to close his eyes against the bright light that exploded around them on its impact.

It lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to leave Tucker dazed. Fortunately, Sam had warned him in time, and whatever bomb that had been detonated did not get to him. Tucker forced himself up onto his knees, looking around to see where Sam had hidden.

She too had ducked behind a car, and was now leaning against it while looking out in surprise and confusion. Sam's stare caught on a spot in the distance, and her eyes widened drastically. Tucker followed her gaze and gasped.

Technus lay smoking and singed on the ground, a trail of green leading from his impact with the ground to where he was now. Even from his safe 30 foot distance Tucker could tell the damage was heavy.

"Sorry kids, it took a little while to set this thing up!"

Tucker's head snapped to the side, his eyes landing on a rapidly moving orange figure coming toward them. In a burst of anger, Tucker came out of his hiding spot into the road.

"We had it under control!" he said angrily.

Jack took a moment to puff out a few breaths before answering. He didn't seem at all bothered by Tucker's tone.

"Sure you did, I was just dying to try this baby out. It's still a work in progress, but-"

"But it's dangerous, and it could hurt someone!" Sam shouted, capping the thermos. Technus was safely inside and now she too had no desire to keep her annoyance in check.

"Maddie told me herself that this metal masterpiece is completely safe. It'll only hurt ghosts, so don't worry!" Jack told them, giving a thumbs up gesture.

Sam was seething, her fists clenched around the thermos in her hands like it was a stress toy. It was no use to try and tell Jack that Maddie lied to him about everything, the big guy was so loyal to her he would never even hear them out. Normally even Sam would think it was romantic, but with people's lives at risk, the thought only became more and more sickening.

Tucker put a hand on her shoulder, silently urging her to take it easy. They were both trying their best and they would keep on doing so until Danny returned. That's what friends did for one another.

"It's not worth it. he's too far gone, remember?" he said softly. "Let's just go."

Sam nodded once, clipping the thermos to her belt to empty out later. At least releasing ghosts was easier now, since Jack considered them all to be ghost hunting buddies.

"Come on kids, don't look so down!" Jack yelled, oblivious to the tension around them. "Is it because Danny-boy has that internship with Vladdie? He's been working really hard, apparently!"

Sam wanted to scream. Ivix had spewed enough lies to last a lifetime, and then some. She was grateful when Tucker decided to be the one to respond.

"Don't you think it's strange that Danny suddenly lives with Vlad, just for an internship?" asked the boy. Jack's reaction was only to look at the two with sympathy.

"I know you must miss him a bunch, but new mayor Vlad Masters is taking good care of him!"

The next explosion was sure to be Sam's wrist ray shooting into a building at this rate. Usually she was controlled enough to hide her anger behind sarcastic remarks and the occasional joke, but the past couple of months had stripped her down to exhaustion. She was angry and it showed.

"How do you know that?" Sam spat suddenly. "Danny could be really hurting and you would never know about it! You should care more about your son!"

Tucker's eyes went wide and he looked between the other two in a panic. Sam was beyond miffed, and Jack was brainwashed and confused. If a worse combo existed, Tucker couldn't even imagine it.

Jack seemed to actually catch Sam's dangerous vibe, taking a few seconds to get over his surprise before replying. As he did, his voice came considerably softer and almost contemplative.

"Well, I guess that's why Maddie told me to go see him later today. He's probably missing us something fierce and if I-"

"Wait, just hold on a second," Tucker interrupted, "you're going _where,_ exactly?"

Jack grinned, as if he'd been begging Tucker to ask. He slung his huge, silver bazooka over his shoulder and propped his hands on his massive hips.

"Maddie had somewhere to go, so she entrusted me with visiting the kids and boosting their morale!" he said proudly.

Sam frowned, thinking on overdrive. This was indeed new. Especially the fact that Jack had spoken of children, meaning multiple. That meant he most likely had been fed a lie about Jazz as well.

Regardless, there was no way Jack was going to 'boost the morale' of Jazz and Danny by visiting them. In fact she wasn't sure her friend could handle seeing his father in such a state. Sam knew Danny was more sensitive than he seemed at times, hero or no hero.

"We should come with you," Sam suggested. Jack looked excited at first, but then seemed to reconsider.

"Shouldn't you be heading back to school right now? I can't stop you two from trying to help, but your classes should be more important than hanging out with friends."

At that moment, the last thing on the minds of Sam and Tucker were tests and reports. If their futures were ruined and their friends were all safe and happy, it would be well worth it. But of course, that wouldn't make such a great argument in this case.

"We promise you Mr. Fenton, we'll study as hard as we possibly can later," Sam said. "We just really want to see Danny again. He must need a break from working so hard, and he'll probably want to see us."

Jack appeared more conflicted as Sam spoke, rubbing at his neck in uncertainty. She wasn't sure what was going on in the hunter's mind, but Sam had a pretty good feeling he was seeing it her way.

"Well, I guess you've got a point there..." said Jack. "Maddie never said I couldn't bring anyone with me, after all."

Tucker's shoulders dropped as the tension left them. At least they could make sure Jack didn't try anything while at the mayor's home. It still wasn't entirely clear how controlled his mind was, and Tucker wasn't in the habit of taking chances.

"So when do we leave?" asked Tucker.

Jack grinned, swiftly searching his pockets for a minute. He pulled out the GAV's keys and held them up excitedly.

"Right now!" he said. "There's no time like the present, you know!"

Sam and Tucker gave each other a concerned look. The present consisted of a mad ghost manipulating and threatening their lives that truthfully, they could do without. But without hesitation, they began to follow Jack.

"Trust me," Sam muttered, "we know."

* * *

Jazz carefully slid a large book back into its slot. It had been an interesting read; old medicine techniques and a guide on herbal remedies had all been included in the dusty vintage textbook.

But it had been her tenth completed book today, and reading was starting to hurt her eyes. She glanced behind her at the large grandfather clock resting in the corner, ticking away. It was well past the time Vlad usually kept Danny in the classroom.

Jazz decided to finally seek out her brother, shoving her latest pile of books to a corner of her table for later. The maids had started to avoid this library since Jazz had deemed it her territory, and she was quite content to waste the day away while the others worked out their issues.

The ritual had finally gotten boring, though. There were only so many stories she could read before she began to long for her psychology books again. Vlad seemed to be a lover of novels and fantasy, likely because of his interest in the supernatural. The shelves were filled to overflowing with the mythological and weird.

Departing the library with a quiet yawn, Jazz made her way down the hall to Danny's room. She wasn't sure where he went after lessons, but she figured his bedroom was a good place to start.

A knock on his door earned nothing but silence. She knocked again, this time pushing open the door as she did so. There was no immediate yelling or ectoblasts thrown her way, so she assumed her intrusion was not noticed.

A quick look around the room confirmed Danny was not lazing around yet. Jazz headed back out and downstairs. She had a few other places in mind; the kitchen being the main one. Godfrey liked to stick around the dining and kitchen areas as it got closer to lunch time, and Danny had lately taken to talking to the ghost during his free time.

Jazz was usually the one Danny went to when he needed advice, but she had purposefully taken herself out of the equation. It made her sad to see Danny unsure of himself, but it was no secret that he depended on his friends and family to ensure he was doing the right thing. It was hard to see where the responsible hero ended and the imperfect teenager began.

Vlad himself had told Jazz about Danny's adoption, asking her again if she would accept the same. She knew he was only doing so since it was convenient, not to mention having both of Jack Fenton's children under his roof permanently would be nothing short of a dream come true.

She had declined once more as graciously as possible, despite the disgust that bubbled up within her. The last 24 hours had been difficult, staying away from Danny while he processed everything felt wrong. But, she had told Vlad she would let her brother choose and Jazz Fenton was not in the habit of lying.

Today she wouldn't hide, she needed to hear how Danny was feeling. His psyche was already unstable to begin with, it was hard to imagine what he must be going through right at that moment.

Her thoughts turned even more negative as she approached the kitchen. Vlad had no business getting so involved in Danny's life, especially to the point of taking legal action. It was only a matter of time before-

Jazz halted quickly as a surprising sound filtered out from the kitchen. She knew the noise like she knew the stages of grief.

It was Danny's laugh. She entered the room and gasped softly at the sight before her.

Danny was seated on a counter, arms crossed and with a triumphant grin on his face. Behind him were delivery men filing in with the groceries the chefs needed for the month. Said chefs were watching the event unfold with shocked faces.

At first nothing seemed to be too off, but a careful look inside one of the bags had Jazz slapping her palm over her face. Only one explanation came to mind.

Godfrey entered the room as he spoke rather loudly to the man in charge of the delivery. His hands gestured wildly as he all but yelled about the mess.

"Who in their right mind would put 45 bags of chocolate chips on their shopping list?!" Godfrey exclaimed.

"Apparently, Vlad Masters," said the man with a shrug. "This is everything on the list you gave me last week, nothin' more, nothin' less."

Godfrey watched the men depart with a dumbfounded expression. As soon as the back door closed, he whirled around and put his hands on his hips.

"Daniel Masters!" yelled Godfrey, "Explain this immediately!"

Danny hopped off the counter and reached into the nearest bag, pulling out a huge candy bar. Trying to appear casual about the whole thing seemed to be his strategy.

"Everything on the real list got delivered too, don't worry!" said Danny. Jazz frowned.

 _"Real_ list?"

Godfrey didn't let Danny explain further, too busy shuffling around the mountains of sweet-infested groceries to think to be polite.

"Look at all of this! If this isn't a cavity waiting to happen I don't know what is." Godfrey finally reached Danny and waggled his finger at him. "This will all be disposed of this instant. And just wait until your father hears about this!"

That last comment seemed to have an affect, making Danny's smile drop a bit. His hands had stopped trying to get his candy bar open and his entire body had tensed.

"It was just a joke, okay?" Danny said softly, "You can throw it out, just-"

"Oh no," Godfrey huffed, "don't expect me to hide this 'practical joke' from Mr. Masters simply because you seem remorseful now."

Jazz could feel tension start to build in the room. One of the disgruntled chefs was even bold enough to make a comment.

"Should call Mr. Masters now, give him something to wait for," he said, "it'll take ages to get all of this put away if we can't trash it."

"Let's all calm down a sec," Jazz suggested. "We can help clean this up, right Danny?"

The teen in question nodded quickly, glad to have someone on his side at the moment. But Godfrey didn't think very highly of her idea.

"I believe you've done enough," said the butler, looking down at Danny. "Now go on, the both of you. I have a call to make."

Jazz could see Danny's eyes harden and quickly snatched his wrist, fearing an even more intense argument. Danny turned away swiftly and allowed Jazz to lead him out of the kitchen.

She didn't stop until they were at the entrance of the mansion. Deciding the grand staircase was as good a place to talk as any, Jazz seated herself on a step and Danny followed.

"Why do you care if Vlad finds out about your sugar hoard?" Jazz asked, choosing not to beat around the bush.

"It started out as a way to freak out Godfrey, his obsession with perfection and organization can really be annoying sometimes," Danny sighed. "But the timing for my prank to work couldn't have been worse!"

Jazz rolled her eyes. "Aren't you being a little dramatic?"

"You don't get it," Danny replied, "I totally bombed a pop quiz today that I should have passed. Vlad's already got it in for me."

"And why didn't you pass?"

Danny rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his chin into his hands. The last thing he wanted was to talk to Jazz about his problems after she'd avoided him for so long, but it was a habit that wasn't easily broken. He couldn't keep much from Jazz, not even his secret identity.

"I just couldn't focus. All of the stuff going on between me and Vlad can make it hard to be around him," said Danny, "And then Godfrey reminding everyone about the adoption just ticked me off."

Although she wasn't in his position, Jazz could understand his feelings pretty well. Since she had first seen them together she had thought her brother had mixed emotions when it came to what he felt about Vlad. But she wasn't sure if doing what she wanted, encouraging Danny to trust Vlad, was really the right thing to do.

"You know Godfrey adores you," she said, staying away from the adoption subject entirely. "Just don't let his angry rant get to you."

Danny didn't respond, and Jazz had a feeling her words weren't being taken to heart. She crossed her arms over her chest and once again decided to change the subject.

"So where is the cheesehead anyway?" she asked.

"He got called in to work, apparently," said Danny. "It's easy to forget he's still the mayor..."

Jazz hummed in agreement, once again reminded that the world still moved forward, uncaringly. If it were not for Vlad she doubted she and Danny would have made it so far.

Suddenly the doorbell rang out, loud and echoing throughout the house. Jazz looked to Danny in confusion and an equally uncertain pair of blue eyes stared back at her. Vlad had left less than a couple of hours ago, it wasn't likely he was back already.

Godfrey came hurrying into the large front entrance with quick and light steps, muttering insults about the interruption. He took a moment in front of the door to compose himself, not taking notice of either of the teens behind him.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" said Godfrey as soon as the door was cracked open. Danny scooted side to side, trying to see who was standing outside, but Jazz quickly swatted his knee to halt the action.

"Hiya butler guy!"

Danny froze, his eyes widening to fully display his irises. His mind raced in a thousand different directions, putting so many thoughts into his head he could barely keep up.

Why of all days was he here now? Danny hadn't sensed a ghost, so what was going on? Was Ivix not here with him? Where was he? Did he truly not survive their last encounter?

"Mr. Fenton, what a surprise!" Godfrey said. "I hadn't been informed you were coming. Mr. Masters isn't home right now, I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience."

Danny jumped to his feet as soon as he caught sight of the bright orange jumpsuit stepping past Godfrey. His breath came out shallow and quick and he prayed he wouldn't start hyperventilating.

"Actually, we're not here for Vlad," came a disembodied feminine voice. Godfrey opened the door completely and Danny finally caught sight of his friends, standing just slightly behind his large and towering dad.

"Danny-boy!"

If Jazz hadn't latched onto his shoulder as quickly as she had, Danny would have bolted. Flashes of scenes he wished to forget came to the forefront of his thoughts. The school rooftop, the lab, the back of the Spectre Speeder...

"Hey, Dad..." Danny choked out. Godfrey's face grew tight but no other reaction could be seen. His friends had pushed themselves into the room after his dad, determined to intercept any danger.

"We just came by to see how your internship was going, right Mr. Fenton?" Tucker said, directing his question to Danny's dad but making it obvious to the halfa that he was to play along.

Problem was, Danny was beyond stressed. Playing along was the last thing he wanted to do, with his face growing hot and his chest tightening as he tried to combat his fight or flight impulses. He wasn't the talkative, political one, that was Vlad. Danny liked to go in guns blazing and not hide his true intentions.

"Of course! It's a bummer Vladdie isn't home right now, but I guess he's busy," Jack replied, looking around the manor in awe. "This place is insane! Imagine all the fudge you could keep in here!"

Sam took the steps to Danny's frozen position, bypassing the chit-chat. She gestured for Tucker to follow her before she turned to Jack.

"You should totally get a tour of the mansion, I'm sure Godfrey could show you all the fun there is to see,"

"Yeah, but Maddie was pretty specific when she said I needed to see Danny..." Jack said, coming to the base of the grand staircase. "So, kiddos, let's catch up!"

The next couple of minutes were a blur in slow motion. Jazz led Danny to follow Godfrey to a sitting room, one with many windows and a gold and green color scheme. The colors were all he could truly see, with vertigo settling in and making it difficult to stay alert and upright.

He hated this. Heroes didn't crack at the slightest reminder of trauma, they pushed through, striving for happiness and good to the very last moment. It seemed Danny's brain didn't get the memo.

Sitting down opposite his dad felt surreal and wrong all at once, like he was having an out-of-body experience. Danny couldn't understand what was being said around him, but he assumed his friends would take care of any conversation. If he tried talking, he was afraid he'd break down.

His fingers climbed up to his collar and lingered at his neck, where the scars from that event began. Zigzagging in electrified bolts down his torso to his navel. He'd have to live with them for the rest of his existence, they'd always be there to remind the halfa of the worst day of his life.

He felt movement beside him and his gaze shot down to his left side, spotting a hand going for his pockets. He tensed immediately and tried to focus on his blurring vision.

The appendage froze in its tracks for a few seconds, allowing Danny to see that there was a dark striped band around their wrist. Sam.

She stopped advancing for his pocket and instead poked her finger at it, hitting the cellphone he'd stowed away in it. Sam nudged it a few more times and when Danny finally reached in and pulled out the device, she halted and returned to the conversation with the others.

Confused and near panicked, Danny stared down at the screen of the phone Vlad had given him. No one had called him, so he wasn't exactly sure why Sam wanted him to grab it so badly. He heard his name being called and looked up to see his dad staring at him.

"Sorry, what was that?"

His dad seemed excited that Danny was finally talking, but it was difficult to tell. He blinked hard, hoping that would help keep away the creeping black shadows at the edge of his vision.

"I asked what V-man's got you doing here all cooped up day and night. His business stuff is kinda boring, but if that's what you like..."

"Yeah," Danny said quickly. "It's just lame paperwork filing. With the occasional coffee run, that's all."

The halfa unlocked his phone and held his finger down on the top right corner of the screen. Vlad had programmed the device to instantly bring up his number when the trigger area was pressed. Immediately Vlad's contact information appeared on the screen.

Danny sent one short text, hoping his dad wouldn't notice or question it. He put the phone on silent just in case, while keeping the screen within view as he tried to once again tune in to his surroundings.

* * *

Politics was utterly boring.

After Daniel had failed one of his quizzes Vlad had been determined to buckle down and clear the air between the two of them, but clearly his plans had changed. There were several complaints of a recent ghost attack resulting in a few shops bring completely destroyed.

It had been a while since a real threat had terrorized Amity, especially since Skulker couldn't hunt Danny under Vlad's roof. Even so, damage had been done and it was Vlad's job to issue the proper protocol.

Leaning back in his desk chair the billionaire popped his tense neck joints, relieved that his job seemed to be finished. All of the people he'd needed to meet with had gone and he was almost ready to return home in under three hours. He only had a few more papers to sign.

Suddenly, he heard his phone go off and he reached into his briefcase absentmindedly. He was prepared to tell whoever it was that he was done for the day, but once he saw the contact ID, he raised a curious eyebrow.

"Daniel?" he wondered softly, opening the text. It was a phrase Vlad had heard before, one that couldn't mean anything good.

_'Come get me.'_

Vlad quickly replied asking what was wrong, but he didn't receive an answer until another five minutes had passed. He was starting to worry.

_'please.'_

That text seemed to do it, making Vlad get up and snatch his briefcase with one hand while holding up his phone's screen with the other. Suddenly driving didn't sound so appealing and he decided to take the scenic route, maintaining his calculated expression and posture despite his worrisome thoughts.

As he flew, he tried to think of the positives. At least Daniel was conscious, since he was texting. The phone would have alerted him if there were any foreign ectosignatures close by, so he wasn't being attacked either. That narrowed it down a bit.

Plasmius phased into his home, aiming straight for Daniel's room. Finding it vacant, he focused on his ghostly senses, trying to locate the other. He was in human form, so the signature was dampened, but Vlad could still feel it, as strong as ever.

Now he was even more confused. He changed to human form as he approached the room where Danny was, not wanting to set off his ghost sense unexpectedly.

"That ghost will be torn apart molecule by molecule!"

Vlad took a sharp breath in, speeding up his steps to the sitting room. No, not another attack inside his home, not the one day he'd been called away...

"Vladdie!"

He was greeted as soon as he was visible in the doorway. Jack's hulkish figure couldn't be mistaken, if the bright orange didn't already give it away.

Daniel, his friends, and his sister all sat opposite Jack, with the halfa boy squished between the girls. Vlad forced himself to take his eyes from Daniel and reply to Jack.

"What a surprise, Jack," said Vlad, "what on Earth are you doing in my home uninvited?"

His insulting tone went unnoticed, as always. Jack stood, standing just a hair taller than Vlad's slim human figure.

"I'd actually come to check up on Danny and Jazz, since they haven't really called us in a while," Jack said, walking over to hug Vlad.

The other dodged expertly and switched positions, putting himself between the kids and Jack. Godfrey walked over to his side seeming nonchalant, but Vlad knew better.

"Daniel and Jasmine have been great guests thus far no need to worry, or come back," he said sweetly, "but it is nearing lunch time and I'm afraid you'll have to leave, I am serious in taking care of these two, you understand."

"Please Dad, we promise to call you sometime, just please don't bother Mr. Masters anymore," Jasmine said, appealing to her father's loyalty to Vlad.

"Well, if you're sure everything's okay..."

"She is," Vlad interrupted. "Now if you don't mind, Godfrey will show you out."

Jack didn't get to reply, as Godfrey instantly began leading him out of the room and to the front door. Vlad spun around, intending to drag Daniel away from his friends. He was surprised however to see the boy extracting himself from the others immediately, keeping his head down.

"Danny? Hey," Tucker called, watching his friend avoid them and head to Vlad. Daniel didn't answer him and Vlad began to feel the worry from earlier come back full force.

"You three head to the dining room," said Vlad, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder as soon as he was close enough. "We'll catch up."

Samantha seemed ready to argue, but a glance to her friend halted her action. At least she had some sense of intuition, not that it was difficult to tell Daniel wasn't feeling well at the moment.

Vlad didn't wait for the teens to obey, leading Danny out and up to his own bedroom. He figured they were less likely to be disturbed there, even the staff mostly stayed away unless told differently.

"He's gone," Vlad assured as soon as the door was shut behind them. He meant to continue speaking but the words were knocked out of him, quite literally.

Daniel all but tackled him, grabbing his suit jacket as if his life depended on it and pressing close to Vlad's chest. The man stood awkwardly pinned between the boy and wall, unsure of exactly what to do.

"He said he was gonna kill Phantom," Daniel said in a shaking voice muffled by fabric. "A-and that he would chop me up, molecule by molecule, and give me to Mom so she could study me- _in pieces."_

Vlad's chest tightened, his emotions torn between their anger at Jack and concern for Daniel. He wrapped an arm around his trembling shoulders, reminded of just how small the younger really was.

"I won't let that happen Daniel, I promise."

Still he wasn't released and after it became clear that Daniel wasn't going to let go any time soon, Vlad reached down and hoisted him up by the waist. He carried Daniel to his bed and seated them both on its edge, with the hero now clinging to him from the side.

"I'm your guardian now, remember?" Vlad asked. "That means you are under my protection, and nothing can harm you here."

"Eventually that promise will be broken," Daniel whispered. "I can't just put all my faith in words, anyway."

"Don't you think you're underestimating me a bit?" he replied. "You are the only one that can come close to defeating me. Against the two of us, not much stands a chance."

Daniel simply shrugged, content to sit and seemingly snuggle Vlad for as long as possible. He ignored the concern eating at him and let himself be a temporary security blanket. For Daniel's sake, there wasn't much he wouldn't do.

"I'm not feeling a pep talk right now, Vlad," Daniel said in a tired, empty voice.

"That's 'father' to you boy," said Vlad, but his tone wasn't as stern as usual. "As for your statement, I'm not sure what you want from me Daniel. I wasn't there to hear Jack speak but-"

"Ivix sent him here!" Daniel interrupted. "To get to me and freak me out- and he succeeded! How weak do you have to be to panic at seeing your own dad?!"

Daniel had pulled away a bit, enough to look Vlad in the face. His eyes were watery and his cheeks were flushed red, reacting quickly to the heat.

"You don't get it because you don't put anyone above yourself; you don't like to play the hero even if it's for your own sake." Daniel's voice grew louder as he pushed past the growing lump in his throat. "But I have people I need to protect, people that rely on me and trust me! You could never understand that!"

"Really?"

Vlad's eyes had narrowed dangerously and he reached around pulling Daniel forward and landing a firm smack to his backside, just hard enough to be sobering. He would never hide from his past or his personality. If the cards he played reflected villainy then so be it. But being disrespected for it he would not tolerate. 

Even thinking from Daniel's point of view, he could never see himself as one of the boy's typical 'bad guys'. He was so much more than that, no matter if the other insisted on turning a blind eye to it. Nothing could stop Vlad from getting Daniel to trust him now, not with so many opportunities presenting themselves.

"And all that I've done to protect you, what would you call that, then?" Vlad asked him as Danny reached back to rub out the sting. "Do I not have you to provide for, and do you not trust me to keep you away from some dangers?"

"Yeah, but-"

"My turn, little badger," Vlad cut in, "I hold you to a very high standard, as someone unique as you should be. You may be easily affected by the trauma now, but it is obvious to me that you are strong enough to overcome it when it counts."

"I said no pep talks..."

"It's the truth," Vlad continued. "You may not want to believe it, but there are things that haunt even the strongest of people. Everyone has a breaking point..."

Vlad took Daniel's chin in his hand and forced their eyes to meet.

"Tell me Daniel, is this really yours?"

Daniel pulled away and wiped at his eyes, sniffing away any lingering negative emotions.

"It's not." he replied.

"I'm sorry," Vlad said, "what was that?"

"I'm not broken," Daniel said more forcefully, though he still kept his gaze on the bedspread.

"Aren't you?" Vlad mocked, smirking when the younger snapped his green 'scary eyes' up at him.

"I'm not!"

"Not what?" Again, Vlad pushed him. Almost there...

_"I'm not broken!"_

The fire was finally back in his protegé's eyes, lit by confidence and fed by hope. Only a couple of months ago Vlad would have liked nothing more than to quench that naïve spirit. He too had changed more than he thought possible. All because of one mouthy, reckless brat.

"Hey!" Daniel cried out as Vlad casually wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him back to his side.

"You weren't supposed to make me feel better," Daniel complained.

"Can't always get what we want, can we?" Vlad said absentmindedly, staring at the far wall and envisioning a life where he could have this forever.

One where it all didn't have to end and there were no ghosts to fight. Where he could focus on his goals with Daniel at his side- teaching him to take over his business, not be ashamed of who he was, and to eventually to surpass him in battle.

"Vlad?" Daniel called.

"Hm?"

"...Thanks for the pep talk."

Vlad chuckled, running his free hand through the boy's hair, immensely satisfied when he cried out in indignation, still unable to free himself from Vlad's grasp.

They'd both look back on moments like these months from now. When their relationship became a shell of what it had once been.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Vlad and Danny try to return to their temporary normal, each troubled for their own reasons.** _

* * *

 


	27. Day Off

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 27: Day Off**

Waking up refreshed and in good mood was an underappreciated phenomenon, hands down.

Having to rise at the crack of dawn every day for the past couple of months took all of the joy out of mornings. At least, Danny thought so.

Which was why he was so grateful that today was Saturday, and ever since yesterday's disaster Vlad had been dead set on cheering the kid up. He'd made sure Danny got all his favorites for dinner, and there was no lecture afterwards to get schoolwork done or to go to bed early. Vlad even suggested he hang out with his sister in the bowling alley rather than the usual routine training.

It wasn't exactly normal spoiling, but he'd take what he could get.

Vlad hadn't come to wake him up yet and Danny was perfectly content to lie in bed for as long as possible. Though he didn't feel the need to avoid Vlad anymore, the peaceful and quiet morning with its pale light shining through the curtains felt too good to pass up.

Until his sneeze broke the silence.

He blinked hard, running his sleeve under his nose. The action had come out of nowhere, jolting him out of his tranquil daze and effectively waking him up. He would've dismissed it as a fluke, but his eyes immediately began to water and he quickly pinched his nose as two more sneezes followed.

 _'Ouch,'_ Danny thought, _'what a wake-up call.'_

He sat up, shivering as the blanket fell from his shoulders. The cold didn't normally bother him, but he wasn't in ghost form right now so he brushed it off as a human thing and made his way to the bathroom.

Danny went on autopilot, brushing his teeth with his eyes barely even open. But once again he had to pause and let out a sneeze. The sound of running water stopped and Danny looked down to see a frozen icicle instead of a steady, warm stream under the faucet.

"Okay, something's definitely up," Danny muttered, mouth still full of toothpaste.

When he finally exited the bathroom after a similar and much more uncomfortable incident in the shower, he almost felt more exhausted than before he'd gone in. Too tired to bother finding his phone, Danny opted for the easier route of pressing a button on the intercom by the door.

It was a signal for Godfrey, and though he hadn't been too happy with Danny the previous morning the chances that he'd ignore his call were slim to none. He flopped backward onto his bed once more and tossed an arm over his eyes. The golden light wasn't so much appealing as it was annoying now.

Danny must have dozed off because the next thing he knew he was flying into a sitting position at the loud sound of rapping on his door. The visitor didn't wait for an invitation and Danny soon found himself dazedly looking up at Godfrey's stern, weathered expression.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, young man?" asked Godfrey, "I haven't the slightest clue why Mr. Masters let you sleep in this late but I assure you-"

"I think I'm sick," Danny cut in. "I'm not really sure what's wrong, but..."

Godfrey seemed to cross the room quicker than lightning, his stern look gone and replaced by one of strict concern. Danny's voice was softer than usual and, as the distance between them shortened, Godfrey could see the haze of tiredness clouding the teen's eyes.

The butler tugged back his sleeves a bit. "Alright, sit up straight. Let me take a look at you."

Danny held as still as he could while Godfrey stared over him, his eyes shining a bit brighter than usual. After several moments he again looked to Danny, this time a bit more relaxed.

"I see no signs of injury or severe infection," he said, "but you do seem to have caught a nasty bug. I'll have to inform Mr. Masters immediately and suspend your schedule for today-"

"You can really see through stuff?!" Danny said, eyes wide. When Godfrey frowned at him he amended, "Sorry. Jazz told me you could, but I didn't think she was telling the truth..."

"It takes concentration, but yes, I can."

Godfrey's frown deepened as the other chose that moment to have a sneezing fit. A shudder ran through him as he felt the temperature sporadically plummet in tempo with Danny's outbursts. He quickly plucked a handkerchief from his pocket and pinched the boy's nose, ending the cold flashes.

"Thanks," Danny muttered nasally, taking the kerchief square from Godfrey.

Godfrey sighed and put a hand to the halfa's forehead, finding it slightly warmer than usual. By human standards this was no more than a simple cold, but if Danny's powers continued to act up it could mean trouble in the future.

"Lie still and rest for now," he ordered. "I'll see to it that the maids stay clear of here in their cleaning, and that the others are made aware of your condition."

"It's not that bad," Danny mumbled, but he didn't have the energy to argue further. He dropped to his back on the fluffy comforter, earning a chuckle from the old man for his antics.

Convinced he was not in danger of dying anytime soon, Godfrey left Danny to search for his employer.

When Vlad had told him Danny would be sleeping in he had been quite surprised indeed. It was a rare sight for the man to do something purely out of compassion, even for someone as special as Danny.

As Godfrey came silently around the corner en route to Vlad's study, he began to hear voices. Surprised, his eyebrows creased together and he quickly checked his pocket watch.

Half past eleven. He had not been told of any guests scheduled to arrive, especially at such an hour!

With curiosity gnawing at his ghostly core, Godfrey slowed his pace and tuned in to the conversation on the other side of the wall.

"As I've told you, there will be nothing to worry about if you simply do as you're told and do it efficiently." came Vlad's muffled voice. There was a low scoff before a new voice, one with a western accent, filled the room.

"I'm not sendin' my men to their graves- we lost plenty corralling that monster the first time 'round!"

"And if we don't stop Ivix now, he will end up terrorizing the Ghost Zone whether you like it or not," said Vlad. "He won't be satisfied with just my blood spilled, he'll go after every single one of you and trust me, you won't be strong enough to stop him."

There was a loud thud and the walls shook for a moment, causing Godfrey to jump and bite his tongue to keep quiet. If he had to guess at the situation, he'd say their visitor was not exactly happy with Vlad at the moment.

"So you want us to risk our necks so you and that delinquent can run free." There was a sigh, and several moments of silence passed before the voice returned, a bit softer. "But...I did imprison him. Which means I could end up a target sooner rather than later."

"Glad to see your intelligence hasn't gone with the years, Warden," Vlad replied. "I'll expect you to be on call at any moment for when I make this plan a reality. Ivix _will_ go down by my hand, it's only a matter of when. Dismissed."

Godfrey didn't hear anything after that for a good minute. Safely assuming the person had chosen to leave via the ghostly route, Godfrey finally knocked on the study door and entered, hesitantly.

"Apologies for the interruption sir," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Vlad looked up from his desk only briefly, his focus on skimming through piles of letters and reports. Saturday was never an especially laid-back day for him as with others; there was too much work to be done both as a mayor and businessman.

"How much did you hear?" he asked seriously.

"Enough to determine this a very bad idea, if I may be blunt," said Godfrey. "If young Daniel finds out about this, it could-"

"He won't find out, and everything will be fine," Vlad assured him, setting down his last sheet, an unimportant review.

Daniel would never agree to let Vlad take the lead in their fight, nor call the shots when it came to using Walker's resources. He'd known from the start that the boy's plans to defeat Ivix were just wishful thinking, and Vlad didn't have time to indulge him any longer.

"Everyone seems to want to interrupt me today!" Godfrey huffed. "I'm telling you Mr. Masters, this cannot possibly end well! Besides, there's still very much we haven't learned about our enemy. This could go just as badly as Daniel's attempt."

"I'm not nearly as reckless as the boy, I assure you." Vlad said with finality. "Speaking of, I need to get him out of bed. So if that's all, Godfrey..."

Vlad stood, ready to cheer himself up by spoiling Daniel. He didn't exactly have anything specific in mind, but he figured the boy needed a break, especially after yesterday. And truthfully, so did Vlad.

"I'm afraid he won't be leaving bed for today," Godfrey said, getting Vlad's attention immediately. "He wasn't feeling well earlier, so I've sentenced young sir to bed rest."

Well that certainly dampened his already sour mood. Daniel really wasn't kidding when he said the universe liked to hand him the worst luck possible.

Though he wasn't exactly surprised, either.

After his trip into the Ghost Zone Danny had gone back to his normal schedule without pause or hesitation. His ghost form may not have suffered much since, but a human body required much more attention and care.

Vlad sighed, feeling slightly guilty for not having the forethought to ease up before now. He was used to a busy day on top of any ghostly activities, but perhaps he'd expected too much of the same from Daniel.

"I see. All the more reason to visit him, then," Vlad said simply.

Godfrey opened the door for him as he exited with no further comment than to dismiss himself to the kitchen. Vlad wasn't in the state of mind to listen to the advice of others, not now. He was glad his butler decided not to push the matter of Walker further.

Vlad tried to tell himself he wasn't worried, but as he made his way to Daniel's room he couldn't help remembering the Blood Blossom incident, and how vulnerable he had seen the boy during that time. When it came to his own health Daniel was more than a little careless.

Upon arrival, Vlad intangibly took a look into the boy's room and found him easily, sitting cross-legged on his bed. His arms were wrapped carefully around his abdomen and he seemed to nearly be dozing off.

"I see I've picked a good day to give you some time off," said Vlad as he phased fully into the room. Danny jumped, only to hunch back over immediately.

"Jeez, Vlad!" shouted Danny. "A little warning next time would be nice."

"Father to you," Vlad corrected, unaffected. "How do you feel? Godfrey informed me you were sick."

Vlad watched as Danny stalled his answer, first with a yawn, then by shrugging his shoulders. Not feeling particularly patient, Vlad placed his palm on the boy's forehead.

"I should have given you more time to rest from that fight," he said, "but I suppose we'll just have to do what we can to make sure this sickness is a short one."

Danny shook his head until the offending hand stopped touching him and glared at its owner. His threat level was near dismal at the minute, but old habits die hard...

"I'm not weak, fruitloop," said Danny.

 _"Father,"_ Vlad snapped, "and weakness has nothing to do with it. If I thought so lowly of you, I wouldn't have let you stay in my home nor lend you my guidance and assistance."

Danny went to shrug without a word, knowing it would annoy Vlad, but quickly stopped. Even that small movement reawakened the aches and throbs in his body.

"You sure know how to compliment a guy," he muttered sarcastically. There were two Vlads in his vision now and, unfortunately, he didn't think the man had duplicated.

Danny shook his head a little, trying to clear the feeling of cotton stuffed inside it. He couldn't remember being this sick since he and Tucker had both caught colds. At least then he'd had someone to share the misery with.

"What is it?"

Great, he'd nearly forgotten Vlad was still in the room. Maybe if he closed his eyes and ignored him, he'd get the hint and go away.

With his head buried in his knees, Danny let out as quiet a sigh as he could manage. He wished he could be laying down instead, but his chest and stomach liked just about every position but the ones that were actually comfortable.

He felt the bed dip beside him and nearly groaned in annoyance. Why couldn't he suffer in _peace?_

A hand was placed on his back, too warm to be normal. Too strong to simply be human. His chest chose that moment to start throbbing, and Danny could only tense and clench his teeth against it.

"Daniel," Vlad called.

Again, Danny ignored him, only this time it was the fear of how vulnerable his voice would sound that fueled it. The hand on his back moved up to his shoulder, gently trying to pull him back to uncurl from his position.

But that slight movement had only aggravated the pain, causing Danny to instinctively jerk back into a ball. Vlad's grip on him tightened and Danny finally responded.

"Get off," he snapped, or tried to. It came out as more of a complaint than a demand.

"As soon as you get your powers back under control, son." Vlad replied with an amused tone.

Danny looked up with a startled expression, taking in the room with shining, bright blue eyes. Vlad was telling the truth. There was frost building on the windows and creeping up the walls, the temperature in the room was freezing, and worst of all he was shaking like a chihuahua.

"I suppose a 'cold' means something different to you, or at least to your ghost half," Vlad said jokingly.

"Ha ha," Danny muttered, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He tried to pull in the rogue, uncontrolled power, but it was proving to be harder than he thought.

His hands pressed to his chest as he tried to find the place to tap into his ice powers, but his energy was low, and the aching in his chest was too distracting. He finally flopped backwards in defeat, wrenching Vlad's hand from him in the process.

"This shouldn't be so hard," Danny said, frustration clear in his voice. "I hate this."

Vlad easily realized Daniel was not truly talking about his powers with his last words. Though there wasn't much he could think to say in sympathy. He was very new to the parent business, especially when it came to being comforting.

He supposed even Jack had an edge over him in that department. But that didn't mean Vlad couldn't try.

"Change forms, it will be easier," Vlad advised, putting his hand to Daniel's chest and taking the boy's wrists in a gentle grip. He was pressing on his now absent core, almost enough to bruise.

Daniel thankfully didn't fight Vlad pulling his hands away as he seemed to be focusing on his task. It took longer than ten seconds for him to finally start transforming, a fact Vlad filed away to the growing list of things to be concerned about.

When Daniel's hair had finally gone white and his pajamas were replaced with his signature jumpsuit, Phantom was left panting with half-lidded green eyes. Vlad felt his forehead once more, worry mounting when he felt barely any change in temperature. Daniel's temperature should have been several degrees lower than his human form, especially with a fever!

"What?" Daniel asked, his voice tired. "What's that look for?"

Vlad stood up, letting his palm linger a few moments more, to be sure of its accuracy. He

walked to the other side of Daniel's room as he replied.

"Nothing, dear boy," he said casually.

"Liar," he heard in response. Vlad resisted the urge to chuckle at the childish accusation.

Once he'd found what he was looking for, he returned to Daniel's side, noticing more as he stood above him. The teen's knees were bent, likely unwilling to flatten and stretch his stomach muscles. His gloved hands had gone back to their post at his core, tight enough to hear the gloves' material strain.

Vlad tossed the fresh pair of black pajamas onto the bed before retaking his seat on the soft comforter. He tapped Daniel's cheek a few times, hoping he hadn't already fallen asleep. When he began to look around again, Vlad gestured to the clothes.

"I believe your rest will be more productive if you're not head to toe in ghost gear." he said. Daniel's only response came in the form of a groan as he snatched up the bundle and headed off to the connected bathroom.

Vlad allowed himself to drop the façade of calm and pursed his lips together. Watching Daniel's retreating back, stressed thoughts appeared in his mind like flashes of lightning. Vlad quickly became annoyed at how easily he seemed to get worked up over an overconfident teenager.

Nearly two months ago it wouldn't have mattered if Daniel were ill or healthy, he would have fought him and not held back. To see so much change in so little time was almost distressing.

Vlad's thoughts were interrupted when Godfrey entered the room, carrying a tray. He remembered the short conversation they'd had earlier and waited for the old ghost to start nagging once more.

"Please tell me he has not run off again..." Godfrey sighed, seeing the empty spot on the bed.

Unwanted memories of Daniel's foolish actions since coming to his home filled Vlad's mind. He frowned deeply, his hand coming up to needlessly straighten his tie.

"He'll be back soon," said Vlad, "just set down his lunch somewhere for now."

Godfrey did as instructed and slid the tray easily onto the closest bedside table. When he didn't excuse himself immediately, Vlad's annoyance grew.

"How on Earth are you going to live without that child when the time comes?" Godfrey asked sadly.

"I assure you I have no intentions of letting Daniel go," said Vlad. "Regardless of whether or not he agrees, there is no way I can let the progress I've made made with him go to waste."

It seemed Godfrey decided that today was the day to push his luck, for he didn't give any indication that he'd drop the touchy subject. The older ghost avoided Vlad's cold eyes, keeping his tone light.

"And if you can't make him see things your way?" he said. "I can't imagine you can still fight him as you used to..."

"Why not?" Vlad snapped, more than a bit irritated. "You think Daniel has changed me that much? You must be joking."

To think _the_ Vlad Plasmius could be rendered helpless by big blue eyes and headstrong determination made his stomach churn. Absolutely _not._ There was no way he would ever be anything but the powerful, manipulative halfa he'd become long ago.

"But he has changed you," Godfrey insisted. "You certainly love him, don't you?"

"You forget your place, butler," Vlad said, his voice low and dangerous. "I will _never_ change for anyone, especially a defiant brat!"

Godfrey too began to get heated, not at all intimidated by the rough treatment of his employer. He hadn't seen this harshness in a long while and it only added to the list of Daniel's changes.

"You will not get any further with him if you use fear and strength to get what you want," said Godfrey, "Don't you think that if you could admit he's influenced you it would mean something to him?! That it might help him see you as a man and not a villain?!"

"I don't need parenting advice, especially from you!" Vlad's eyes changed to red and he stood from his seat.

"You want me to admit how I feel? Then you asked for it!" said Plasmius, his teeth grinding. "If Daniel betrays me...I will destroy him in a _heartbeat."_

Godfrey frowned deeply and sighed, preparing to retort. But Vlad wasn't finished yet, his anger was only mounting.

"He is nothing more than an opponent, a trophy to beat into submission and throw away! And once I have achieved that goal Daniel Fenton will mean _nothing_ to me, understand? I will _never_ love that child!"

Godfrey looked furious, his face tight. He stepped forward to argue when his expression suddenly dropped. His eyes widened and all of his energy seemed to leave him, his look startling Vlad. The billionaire followed his gaze, over his own shoulder and to the other side of the room.

Daniel stood in the open doorway of the bathroom, frozen.

Vlad immediately tensed, unsure of how the boy would react. He half expected an ectoblast to the jugular, or maybe a roundhouse to the cranium, but Daniel surprised him.

He visibly recovered from his shock and tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. In the next moment he was diving through the carpet to the floor beneath them.

"Go after him!" Godfrey yelled.

Vlad barely heard the plea, as he quickly transformed and followed after Phantom. Daniel's powers weren't under complete control, so it was almost laughably easy to track his movements. He was flying fast, but Vlad had the advantage of teleportation.

All the while he was kicking himself internally. He often accused Daniel of having an uncontrollable temper, and here he was getting worked up over feelings.

He stopped his pursuit and closed his eyes, focusing. The teen kept moving in a crazed pattern, but if he could just predict where he was going next...there!

Vlad teleported to the grand ballroom on the first floor, successfully intercepting Daniel's flight. He stood firm as Daniel nearly crashed into him, falling over with an angry grunt.

"Stop following me!" Daniel ordered, ending his sentence with an unintimidating cough.

"And let my mansion freeze over? I think not," said Vlad. Daniel looked around and his eyes widened slightly as he noticed the frost creeping up the walls.

"You know what...?" Daniel said, "You deserve it!"

Vlad was forced to throw up a quick shield as Phantom lunged forward, ice shooting from his eyes. He'd never seen Daniel use that trick before and was immediately put on the defensive.

Daniel was a blur of green and blue, his cytoblasts charging his swift, strong punches and ice blasting Vlad's shields away. But Vlad would not give him an opening, blocking him at every turn and hoping he'd run out of energy soon.

As Vlad flew up and dodged a blast to his side Daniel finally managed to catch him in the air and land a fist into his chest. Vlad slammed into the ground, shaking the marble floor and cracking it in some places. He noticed there was a thin coating of ice on the ground, and grit his teeth angrily.

"You know, that actually felt _really_ good," said Daniel, "like old times, huh V-man?"

Vlad pushed off of the ground and glared at the other, his tone dripping with malice when he spoke.

"Well now that you've successfully made me angry," said Vlad. "Children should know better than to attack their fathers, so it seems I haven't quite done my job. _Allow me to fix that!"_

Daniel went intangible just in time to miss being blasted through the wall. He dived down underneath Vlad but was cut off by a pink blast to the floor before he could escape. The ectoblasts merely smashed a layer of ice, but it was enough for Daniel to back up and fly right into Vlad's grip.

He grabbed the boy's arm and twisted it behind his back, just enough to cause pain. Vlad reminded himself that Daniel was ill, and he was lucky that the teen had dodged his first attack. In his anger, Vlad could have knocked him out in a minute if he wished.

"Enough!" Vlad growled. "This is ridiculous!"

He only seemed to upset Daniel more, struggling to keep him still as he pulled at his trapped limb.

"I'll show you ridiculous!" Daniel said, turning invisible and kicking Vlad in the kneecap.

With a howl of surprise and pain Plasmius let go, forced to throw up another shield as Daniel took the opportunity to bombard him with blasts. The adrenaline the boy was using to fight would leave him near unconscious if he didn't calm down soon!

Daniel broke through his shield and shoved Plasmius backward into a wall. Vlad's eyes widened as he got to see Phantom's face. Daniel grabbed his collar and held him against the icy wall, eyes wet and face red. He tried to address the change in expression.

"You're-"

 _"Yeah_ I'm crying!" Daniel interrupted. "Go ahead and make fun of me, I don't care anymore!"

Vlad turned intangible as Daniel made to punch his face, hearing the freezing walls shake when his fist landed on the ice coated surface. Things were going from bad to worse, quickly. If Vlad didn't deescalate the situation there would be serious consequences.

"Listen to me Daniel," Vlad said, letting himself remain pinned. "What I said-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Vlad heard as he was pulled forward and thrown down to the ground. Again, he allowed it and tried again.

"What I said wasn't right, or fair to you," he repeated, standing up as Phantom landed in front of him.

"I was angry and didn't realize I was only defending my pride." The temperature in the room was rapidly dropping and, if Vlad were a betting man, he'd say Daniel's energy was finally running out. "What you heard was my selfish desire to hold on to my past, to continue to be the powerful, manipulative man I had made myself into."

Daniel shook his head, refusing to listen. Flurries of snowflakes spiraled around them, in time to Phantom's distress. Vlad gave his best attempt at fixing the situation as his body began to shake from the cold.

"I now realize I would much rather be a father than any of those other things! Your father, Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed.

Like a spell, all the movement in the room stopped. Daniel dropped to his knees with an unreadable expression, but to Vlad's relief he no longer seemed to be crying. He walked up and kneeled to the younger's height.

"Everything will b-" he cut off his sentence as he tried to put a hand on Daniel's shoulder, and it fell right through.

Daniel looked up at him with what could have been a passive expression, but Vlad knew better. The boy was seething, but had nothing left to fight with. He felt backed into a corner and was trying to appear calm.

"You know what, Father?" he said, "I've had just about enough of your lies!"

Before Vlad could stop him, Daniel screamed, rings of energy pouring from his mouth. Vlad was shoved backward, but the attack didn't even last ten seconds before he passed out, leaving a dazed Plasmius and frozen ballroom behind.

Chandeliers began to crack and fall from the ceiling, the loud smashing just enough to get Vlad's attention. He jumped up and grabbed Daniel, flying him out of the room and into the next, a conference room.

He hardly noticed when Godfrey and a few other workers entered the room, having felt the house shake from the Ghostly Wail. Daniel was sweaty, pale, and breathing heavily, the fight only making his condition worse. And it was all because of his idiotic temper.

"Sir?" Godfrey called. Vlad muttered a rude 'leave', but it wasn't quite loud enough. "I'm sorry Mr. Masters, what-"

_"I said get out!"_

Vlad's staff quickly followed the order, fleeing the room like scurrying mice. Godfrey was the last to leave, casting a sad and concerned glance at Daniel before departing. Silence fell over the two, suffocating and tense. Vlad dropped into a chair, unsure of what to do next.

Daniel would want nothing to do with him after this, with good reason. But Vlad had been truthful when he told Godfrey he would not lose the boy no matter what.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, his body gradually regaining the heat it had lost. Daniel's head turned away from Vlad's chest at the uncomfortable temperature, but he was not ready to let go just yet. Time passed slowly, and he grew weary of staying in ghost form.

Plasmius changed to Masters, black rings replacing his white jumpsuit with a black, formal one. Unfortunately the light made Daniel whimper and tense up, his eyes opening just barely.

Vlad was reminded of when he'd carried a half-awake Daniel to his bedroom when his core was damaged. He shifted the teen into a sitting position and ran a hand through the still white hair, encouraging him to wake. The fact that he had not changed forms upon losing consciousness was definitely worth concern.

When Danny could see the world around him come back into focus, it was dim and foggy, very slowly returning to the way it was. His head was pounding and making it hard to think about anything other than the fact that being sick utterly reeked.

That, and the fact that the cheesehead jerk still hadn't left him alone. He shook his head to get rid of the cobwebs, pain shooting through it as he did so. Vlad's grip on him tightened.

"Calm down," he said, "you were only out for an hour at most."

"I don't care! Now let me go or else!" Danny snapped, but he had little energy to back up his threat. "I'm not a baby!"

No sooner than the phrase had been said was he coughing like crazy into his arm, each hack causing his throat to burn mercilessly. Vlad stood up and began carrying him out of wherever they were into a hallway. As Danny's fit calmed down he noticed the direction they were heading in and immediately protested.

"No way," he said, "I'm going back to my room, _alone,_ not-"

"To the infirmary," interrupted Vlad, "where you will spend tonight resting, just in case."

Danny tried to go intangible but could barely find the energy to keep his head up let alone break free of Vlad's hold. Even though the man seemed remorseful he still hasn't forgiven him for the stuff he heard while he'd changed. Hotheaded in the moment or no, Vlad's words had stung.

"Come on, you've done enough to make me miserable already, at least let me pass out in my own bed!"

Vlad gave him a stern look and opened his mouth to speak when they heard a loud voice yell to them.

"What the heck is going on down here?!"

They both turned to see Jazz's angry form storming towards the two. Danny saw the book in her hand and was suddenly terrified. Interrupting his sister's studying meant death...or worse, being her psychoanalysis subject.

"It felt like there was in earthquake going on, but nothing outside was moving. Then I hear a couple of maids yelling about you two fighting each other!" she shouted. "You morons are supposed to be working together! What in the world were you fighting over?"

Thankfully Danny's energy choose that moment to leave him, a single sneeze making him lose the ability stay upright. Vlad sighed- the most annoying sound he could ever make- and shifted Danny to comfortably lay on his shoulder.

"We were actually about to go to the infirmary-"

" _My room, Plasmius,"_ Danny corrected. He didn't care if Vlad scolded him for whining, he hated going to the sterilized, boring, white-washed ward.

"What's wrong?" Jazz asked, looking to Vlad.

"Daniel's been running a fever since this morning and we _are going_ to treat it," he said, matching Danny's glare afterwards. Jazz glanced between the two of them and raised a hand to rub at her temple.

"Danny can't afford be sick when we could be attacked at any moment," she began, "so I don't care how you do it, just fix whatever is going on between you two, and do it quickly. If I have to stop my research because the house is on fire - or _frozen -_ you will both regret it!"

With her piece said Jazz turned on her heel, book tucked under her arm, and went right back to the library. Danny let out a breath he didn't recall holding when she was finally out of view.

"Alright Daniel," Vlad said suddenly, "we will head to your bedroom and you can rest there, but there are some conditions."

"I feel like a hostage already, fruitloop," Danny complained.

Vlad's eyes narrowed dangerously, his tone dropping to nearly a whisper. Danny couldn't help but tense.

"You gave me your word, boy. Avoid calling me my proper title again and I will not hesitate to go back on my end as well," Vlad waited till Danny nodded to continue. "You will hear me out about what happened earlier, without complaint, and you can stay upstairs as you wished. That's the deal."

"...Fine," said Danny. At least Vlad just wanted him to listen to his no doubt pathetic excuses for calling him a trophy. That, he could ignore.

But what he found difficult to ignore was the growing pain in his head and now chest as well. He wished he had the energy to cool himself off, or at least not be next to someone with a hot core.

When they reached his room and Vlad set him down on his bed the movement caused a short yelp to escape his throat. That repositioning had made the pain spike for a moment. Great, as if he couldn't get any more pathetic.

"What is it?" asked Vlad. Danny shook his head and buried himself under the covers, all the way up to his neck.

"I said I would explain about earlier, and I meant it." Vlad continued, "I was not being truthful when Godfrey confronted me because I did not want to admit that you've changed me. Even though it's completely true."

Danny was barely listening, too focused on a steadily increasing problem. His mouth began to go dry.

"It's fine, Vl- Father," he tried, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

"Do not patronize me Daniel, I'm old enough to know when one is in the wrong," Vlad said, ignorant of his ward's issue. "So I must apologize-"

"I forgive you!" cried Danny, "Now-!"

"Not until I've finished," snapped Vlad. "I said I wanted to be a father to you and I intend to do so. Starting with- are you alright?"

Danny gulped, glad that Vlad finally seemed to notice his struggle. His throat hurt from yelling so his voice was much softer than usual when he spoke.

"I-I'm gonna puke..."

Vlad's eyes widened and he quickly created a pink bucket from ectoenergy. He shoved it into Danny's arms just in time, the gross noise of gagging filling the air.

His throat burned when he finished and he had more than a bit of moisture clinging to his lashes. Vlad took the bucket from him and left to dispose of the contents.

Danny collapsed onto his stomach in misery. When Vlad returned he had a wet washcloth in hand. Obediently he rolled over and let the cold cloth be laid on his forehead. Danny sighed tiredly.

"This reeks," he said dramatically. Vlad nodded, settling down in a chair beside him.

"Agreed."

* * *

_**Next Chapter: The life of a Masters is not for Danny. At least, that's what he tells himself when he's thrust into it.** _

* * *

**Thanks for reading, I hope I can continue to make these long chapters on time :) Sparkle on, my friends.**

**-P**


	28. A Web of Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> If you'd like to help me out beta-ing this story let me know, The faster my beta process goes the sooner I can pop these suckers out.

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 28: A Web of Lies**

There is an old saying that 'patience is a virtue'. Vlad Masters considered himself a living testament to the confirmation of that old proverb.

Twenty years he'd spent learning, practicing and growing his powers to new heights, rising above the odds with nothing but his own means and time. Life had dealt him a difficult hand, but he'd triumphed in the end.

Even now, his patience was being tested with both difficulty and tribulation, such like he had never known before. He would rally his strength as he always did and fight hard, even should the circumstances break him.

"Daniel! Take your medicine _now!"_

 _"You_ take it!"

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose in a desperate attempt to not break down and blast something. Not 24 hours had passed since their fight and Daniel seemed hell-bent on starting another one.

"I am not in the mood to argue with you, brat," Vlad said, trying to keep his cool. "Get down here at once!"

Daniel looked down at him in mock confusion. He pushed on the ceiling until he was stomach-down in the air, his fingers lacing together behind his head.

"What was that?" he said. "Sorry, I don't think I can hear ya down there!"

Vlad grit his teeth and set down on the nightstand the very thing that started their current debate. A two ounce oral syringe filled with special antibiotics for half ghosts, made by Vlad himself.

It _was_ on the larger side, not to mention glowing purple, but Daniel should have been past the age of fearing such things. Yet another of Jack Fenton's parenting failures he'd need to correct.

"If I have to come up there myself I promise you," Vlad paused, making sure the threat was heard. "As soon as you are well again you'll be over my knee faster than you can say 'Going Ghost'."

He finally got the boy's attention. After some hesitation, Danny lowered a few inches towards his bed beneath him, eyeing the syringe on the nightstand as if it would spontaneously attack him.

"Honestly, Daniel this is ridiculous," Vlad huffed.

"You're ridiculous."

The urge to murder hadn't been so strong in Vlad's soul since his days laying in bed with ecto-acne. He consistently reminded himself this was part of the job; that stress was normal in the life of a parent.

When Daniel was sitting on top of his bedsheets once more Vlad reached for the syringe. Again he was met with resistance, Daniel's voice changing to an ear-splitting annoyance of a sound.

"It's groooss!" Daniel complained, leaning back as Vlad advanced.

"You haven't tried it yet," he said, wishing for once that Godfrey were around.

The butler had been adamant that this was an opportune time to bond with Daniel and had promptly told him he was on his own. Of course, he'd used much more polite words than that, but the message wasn't any less clear.

"You said it was gross," Daniel said, almost as an accusation.

"I told you it would help you!" Vlad snapped, tired and annoyed. Strong restraints and a nice, handy gag came to mind.

Too bad he wasn't allowed to tie up his own son. It would've saved him so much time!

"Which means it's gross," continued Daniel. "Besides, I feel fine! Absolutely cured, even."

Vlad thought of an idea, one that might serve for more than just getting Daniel to obey. He stepped backward, moving from the bed to the door until he was just over 6 feet away.

"A deal then," said Vlad, "if you can walk to me, I'll give you this distributor to do as you please. Should you fail, you take it without complaint."

Daniel smirked and rose into the air, confident there was no way he wouldn't succeed. Vlad cleared his throat loudly.

"I believe I said _'walk to me',_ remember?"

This time the boy's face showed doubt. Vlad was hoping also to gauge just how bad Daniel was feeling with this test. Hearing him continually deny any pain or sickness was just prolonging his recovery and frustrating them both.

Daniel dropped onto the ground. His legs looked unstable for a moment, as if they would give out with an ounce more of weight, but he remained upright. Stubbornly the hero crossed his arms and walked, his eyes glued to the floor in front of him.

Vlad watched, counting the steps as they landed. One, two, three...

He raised an eyebrow when Daniel stopped. He'd been doing surprisingly well, even making Vlad worry he'd have to complete his side of the deal. But he had expected Daniel's energy to run out quickly, otherwise he wouldn't have made the bet.

"Absolutely cured, was it?" Vlad said with a sigh. He moved forward to simply pick him up when Daniel let out a slow breath. Vlad frowned in response.

"What is it?" he asked.

Daniel's head stayed low, but thankfully Vlad's enhanced senses allowed him to hear the reply.

"You win," Daniel whispered, hands pressing tightly to his chest.

Vlad scooped up the pale, pajama-clad Phantom as gently as possible. He could feel his breath coming out in a wheeze despite not needing oxygen at all. The more he observed the more skeptical he grew. Vlad couldn't bring himself to believe this was just an average cold.

As he let Daniel settle beneath the blankets he was reminded of the task at hand. He put the end of the syringe to the sick boy's face, wishing on every star in the sky that he wouldn't have to endure more whining.

All he received was a groan before Daniel willingly drank the purple antibiotics in a quick few gulps. Though he'd tried to get it over with quickly it still took about 30 seconds in total.

Vlad expected all manner of gagging, complaining, and overall dramatics but received none. Daniel just dropped into his pillows once more, eyes still open but tired looking.

"You'll start feeling better soon, just wait," promised Vlad, unsure of why he felt the need to do so. Everything seemed to be new to him lately, especially with some of the more obvious changes...

"You're just saying that, Father," Daniel said. "And if that's the case I must look really pitiful right now."

Vlad internally relished the feeling of being a parent, blocking out all the voices telling him it was only temporary. He'd finally won and got what he had been wanting since he discovered Daniel's existence.

"You're spacing out again," Daniel said, frowning. Vlad chuckled.

"I'm only wondering when you're going to admit defeat and rest, little badger," he said.

Daniel pulled the covers tight over his head, effectively ending the conversation. If he'd been any other boy Vlad might have worried he'd be suffocated, but Daniel was no ordinary boy. Normal teenagers didn't have naturally white hair and glowing green eyes.

Vlad made his way out of the room and to his lab, confident for the first time that morning that Daniel was subdued for now. Once in his underground space he unlocked his ghost portal, watching as the doors parted to reveal green swirls of energy.

Almost immediately a familiar face came through, grinning as he landed with a metallic thud into the laboratory floor. Vlad closed the portal once more.

"I must say I'm surprised you've gotten so involved, Plasmius," said Skulker, "calling me to help you with the whelp's problem is definitely not like you..."

"Spare me your accusations of going soft," Vlad snapped. "This time it's not for Daniel. I have all I need from him."

Skulker crossed his hulking metal arms in stubborn confusion. He didn't trust Vlad's judgment when it came to the Fentons. Anyone with half a brain could tell he was obsessed with them.

"Then it is the woman in Ivix's clutches? The competent ghost hunter?" asked Skulker.

Vlad turned and brought up an image of a thermos on his monitor. In shape it appeared just like one of Phantom's, but the color scheme and level of technology were completely different. For one, there was a genetic lock on the thermos, just like on the ghost portal.

"I need to capture them both in this," said Vlad, gesturing to the model. "And you're going to build it for me."

Skulker frowned, skeptical. "A thermos that traps both humans and ghosts? What purpose would that serve?"

"I believe I can separate them while they remain trapped inside," Vlad explained. "If you build this correctly, I can use it like a programming device, and see what can genetically be done to get Ivix out of Maddie."

"Sounds an awful lot like experimenting to me," Skulker said.

Vlad rolled his eyes, pressing a button on the keyboard in front of him. The blueprints for his new thermos began downloading to Skulker's suit instantly.

"I would never do anything to harm Maddie," Vlad said, facing Skulker again.

"Except destroy her husband and kidnap her children, of course."

Vlad dismissed Skulker with a smirk, choosing to ignore the jab at his character. He didn't have anything to prove to his employee. It only mattered that Skulker could accomplish what he needed him to.

He locked the ghost portal, a habit he wasn't ashamed to admit came from paranoia. Their newest enemy didn't value the flashy, obvious attacks like so many other ghosts, so locked up tight the portal would stay.

That, and maybe he could manage to actually keep Daniel out of the Ghost Zone now. He'd spent nearly all of a night reprogramming his security systems after the Foley boy had broken through.

He set to work on going over the blueprints he'd sent Skulker, making sure everything was perfect and running test after test to ensure it would not fail. His entire plan revolved around the new thermos doing its job. If he couldn't get it to work, Maddie might not make it long enough for him to design a second model.

After an hour and a half of putting the blueprints through simulations and diagnostics Vlad finally had enough peace of mind to turn off the monitor for the day. He rubbed around his eyes as he willed away the slight headache that had begun to form. No doubt from staring at the lit screen for so long.

It was that slight pain that reminded him of Daniel. Though if he were being honest, nearly anything could bring his thoughts to the other halfa. He wondered if other parents acted the same or if he was starting to lose it, becoming more obsessed than he was already.

As he headed upstairs with every intention of returning to Daniel's room Godfrey intercepted him and began to fill him in on what news he'd missed from work. He had been absent for many a day now and he didn't doubt he would have to do something about it soon.

"Your associates will begin to lose their respect for you, sir," Godfrey explained. "Rumors may be no cause for concern, but you must call a meeting before they decide to place their loyalties elsewhere, Mr. Masters."

Vlad sighed, realizing he'd left his single, rich, businessman life for too long. But with Daniel still living with him he had doubts that he could simply host a gala and have everything go without incident.

"We will start with a dinner party," said Vlad. "There is no need to call for a business meeting to discuss rumors. We just need a few, trusted associates and a few gossips that will relay to the world that I'm still breathing."

"Yes sir," said Godfrey, "we will have it scheduled before the month is over."

He bowed slightly before he turned to leave. Vlad had a thought and spoke quickly to stop him.

"And Godfrey?" he said, "Choose families that have older children. I intend to have Daniel accompany me."

Godfrey didn't seem to like the idea, his eyebrows furrowing in that suspicious and concerned way. It was all but his signature by now.

"And if people ask questions?" asked Godfrey. "How will you explain your relation?"

"He's my son of course," Vlad said with the lift of an eyebrow.

"The tabloids will love that," Godfrey said with a sigh. Vlad chuckled and waved a hand.

"Let them say whatever they like, it will only benefit me,"

Godfrey looked at him strangely for a moment. However, after a moment he seemed to understand and put a weathered hand to his temple, massaging it slowly.

"You _want_ the rumors to start, so Daniel Fenton will feel pressured to stay Daniel Masters," Godfrey said, watching Vlad's face to determine if he was right. "The more people believe he's your long lost son the harder it will be for the boy to return to his life..."

"I cannot keep Daniel prisoner," said Vlad, unwilling to directly answer. "But I can give him an...incentive, to make the right decisions."

Though it was harsh to hear, Godfrey wasn't exactly new to Vlad's manipulation and plotting. As he usually did when his employer's mind was made up, the butler did nothing but nod his head. To reply with more defiance than he already had in the last 24 hours would be unseemly.

Vlad promptly left Godfrey with a satisfied smirk on his face. He'd almost forgotten how good it felt to reveal a well thought-out plan to an unsuspecting soul.

Though, he admitted it was more of a gamble than much else. Daniel could very well decide to ignore the implications of being introduced into high society, especially as the son of Vlad Masters himself. Businessmen and rich folk could be bullies, and as he recalled Daniel didn't do very well with bullies.

Before he realized it he was standing outside Daniel's bedroom door again. It was mostly suspicion that lead him there, he hadn't heard a single whine in nearly a couple of hours.

The boy was asleep when Vlad entered the room, the covers pushed to the foot of the bed in a heap of starry fabric. Luckily he hadn't changed back yet, his ghostly body was still glowing in the darkened bedroom, dreaming soundly. But his sleep wasn't very peaceful.

Daniel's breath was coming out in quick, wheezing gasps, and his hands were pressed to his chest. The first thing Vlad did was check that the Ectosignature Simulator he'd given him was working. It was glowing from underneath the bed as always, meaning a nightmare wasn't probable this time.

The back of Vlad's hand found Daniel's sweaty cheek. The heat he felt caused him to frown, feeling horrible for letting this happen. Daniel would have been fine right now, perhaps training or studying for a quiz, if only Vlad had seen his reckless plan coming.

Daniel shifted, taking Vlad's attention from his thoughts. He rolled over to face Vlad and his eyes fluttered for a moment before going still again.

Vlad sighed softly and went to the intercom on the wall, quietly asking that a late lunch be brought up. Daniel hadn't eaten since yesterday, insisting he didn't eat in ghost form, regardless of whether he could or not. The argument had escalated even further when Vlad then demanded he take medicine as Phantom, only ending with a threat to the boy's backside.

Waking Daniel was harder than Vlad would admit. He wanted to just let him sleep the day away, but he was only half ghost and still needed food to stay energized. It was strange enough watching Daniel move so sluggishly and hardly manage to walk.

Vlad squeezed his shoulder gently, hoping he didn't sleep as soundly in ghost form as he did in his human one. Luck must have been on his side, because Daniel opened his eyes immediately. He looked confused until he finally focused on the man in front of him.

"Afternoon," said Vlad. "How do you feel?"

Daniel groaned loudly and turned over, grasping for blankets that weren't there. Vlad laughed before dragging the cover back over his ward obligingly. He remembered his intercom call and instantly sobered.

"I have lunch coming–"

"No," Daniel snapped.

Unwilling to participate in another argument Vlad walked to the window and let in some light, yet another string of groans coming from the bed as he did.

"Eat something, then you can go back to sleep," said Vlad. Daniel merely sighed, his eyes closing once more.

"You're enjoying this," he grumbled. "You get to play parent while I suffer. Not fair."

Vlad held back a laugh this time, realizing the boy wasn't too far off the mark. He definitely didn't enjoy that he was sick, but acting like Daniel's parent was a little rewarding. Still, he couldn't let Daniel know that.

"Enough dramatics," Vlad said. "You need that medication again in half an hour, and I'd rather you not take it with an empty stomach."

"You won't have to worry, 'cause I won't be taking it at all," Daniel said.

He decided to let the topic go, at least for now. There was something nagging at him anyway. Vlad sat down beside Daniel, taking in his appearance for a moment before coming up with something.

"Daniel," Vlad waited for the boy to open his eyes before he continued. When he did, they were tired and barely lit up. Vlad raised his hand...

"Give me a high-five."

"What?" Daniel said. He stared at Vlad's hand like it was going to blast him.

"Just do it."

Daniel looked like he was going to obey for all of a moment before frowning and looking away.

"No," he said.

"I grow tired of hearing that word," Vlad said in warning. "Now obey me, or talk."

Daniel gave him what Vlad dubbed the 'sad eyes' and stayed silent. Vlad nearly faltered at the desperate, young expression but the lack of glow those green eyes had reminded him of why he needed Daniel to do this. If he wouldn't tell Vlad what was wrong he couldn't help.

After several seconds Daniel caught on and lowered his eyes. His hands twitched for a moment before he finally moved one, a cold, blue mist appearing for a second in the air. It was quick, but Vlad caught sight of it just before it dissipated into the air.

"I'm too hot," said Daniel. "If I don't cool down my core, it...it hurts, a lot."

Vlad was kicking himself for not realizing sooner that Daniel's core was uncomfortable in the heat. And it had been his idea to stay in ghost form!

"You can't keep using what little energy you have," said Vlad, "it's probably why you're not getting better. Your body can't fight off the illness if it's powering your...ghost ice?"

"But if I can't use my ice powers to cool down..." Danny trailed off, looking away.

"We'll lower your fever the old fashioned way, of course," Vlad said briskly. "First though, you have to eat. More urgently than before, actually."

"It'll be hot," Daniel complained, slowly removing his hands from his chest.

"And then we'll get you cold again," Vlad promised. _"Trust,_ little badger."

Daniel sat up and crossed his arms, watching the door in dread. His hands were no longer producing a chill and it was only minutes before his core would start hurting.

"I really hope you're right about this, Father."

* * *

Footsteps thudded heavily towards a large stone door, their sound getting louder and louder as the person inside took a deep, calming breath. It was dimly lit and hardly furnished inside the room, with just a few chairs and a desk along one wall. The sound of boots running came even closer until soldiers were storming inside, blowing out the one candle on the desk in their haste.

"Your majesty!" said one, "You are no longer safe here, they're inside the castle!"

Dora stood and gently waved her hand over the smoking wick, lighting it anew. She was as calm as she could be despite there being sounds of battle not too far off.

"I will stay with my people," she said with finality. "I refuse to run."

Another of her guards, one that had helped her many times and whom she would even regard a friend stepped forward. His limp right arm hung bloodied from his shoulder, his entire sleeve in tatters.

"Please My Queen," said Virgil, "the intruders were last seen heading for the dungeons. If they manage to free _him..."_

"They won't," Dora said, "I will make sure of it!"

She stepped forward, but her path remained blocked by her guards. Her face darkened but the soldiers would not move, their expressions sad and worried.

"We cannot let you sacrifice yourself like this," Virgil said. "We will help you escape and you will bring back help to us. Until then, we fight and survive."

Their were several nods throughout the group. Virgil held his good arm out for Dora to take, giving her a smile. She hesitated, but the looks on her brave men's faces convinced her to link her arm with Virgil's. For once, she would be the one to take orders.

Virgil shouted for the others to cover them and led Dora out of the safe room and down the passageways. They ran as fast as Dora could handle until the sounds of ectoblasts and crackling fire faded. She was panting by the time they reached a high tower, flying swiftly up to the top while some guards stayed below to block the entrance.

The few guards left aided in getting the two out onto a balcony of the tower, keeping watch all the while. Dora felt a jolt of emotion in her chest when she looked out at the burning buildings of her kingdom and heard the shouts of her fellow ghosts as they fought desperately.

Her hands trembled as she brought them up to Virgil's face. They glowed a bright blue for a moment before the light sank into his skin and disappeared. He backed away from her, his skin beginning to change color.

"You'll need to hop on quickly," he said, his voice gruff. "We won't have much time to fly away."

Dora nodded and watched as Virgil changed into a dragon. She wasted no time and climbed up onto his back, holding on as tightly as she dared before giving Virgil the signal to fly.

Within a second they were in the air, speeding over the fiery pit that was once Dora's glorious kingdom. The smoke burnt in her nose and brought tears to her eyes but she could not look away. Maybe if she witnessed their suffering she could somehow atone for her sin of failing to protect them.

She should've seen this coming. She should have prepared and had the forethought to ready her defenses before it was too late. Her brother would have rallied the soldiers and had the clones scattered long before they could reach the castle doors...

They had traveled for barely a minute before she heard it. A loud, crackling _'boom!'_ that rippled across the floating rock and rumbled through the ground. Dora turned around in time to see a large, dark dragon emerging from the rubble of the east side of her castle.

Her brother had been freed.

"No!" Dora yelled, praying that he would not see Virgil. Aragon was the fastest dragon she knew, she could not risk her friend getting attacked.

"Your majesty?" Virgil called, "I need you to promise me that you'll flee should I be finished here."

Dora opened her mouth to protest immediately but her eyes welled up and her throat caught. She couldn't think of anyone that wouldn't say the exact same thing in his position. All of her men were brave and greatly devoted to her.

"Your life will not be a waste," she said, "I will return the kingdom to its previous glory with Danny's help. He's lent me his aid once, I'm sure he'll do it again."

There was a loud, sudden roar behind them and Dora quickly brushed the tears from her eyes. The red irises hardened as she sobered and turned to see how quickly Aragon was coming at them.

If he knew she was there, he didn't look like it. He was smiling and advancing at a dangerously fast speed, slicing a rooftop clean off a particularly tall house, like it was butter. Unfazed he gained on them, another animalistic roar tearing from his throat.

Dora turned invisible and gripped onto Virgil tightly. She knew they could not outfly a bigger and faster dragon like her brother, but they didn't have to. At this point the goal had changed. Dora just had to get out alive, and return with more power than her own. Aragon would not kill the inhabitants of her kingdom, he was too hungry for the throne.

"Now, your majesty!" hissed Virgil when he could feel Aragon's hot breath at his tail. Dora leapt from his back just in time for the former prince to swipe his talons down across Virgil's wing.

Dora saw Virgil plummet, crying out and smacking her brother away. But Aragon simply turned and sunk his sharp teeth into the other dragon's shoulder, green spurting out from the wound. Dora's breath shuddered horribly, and it took all she had in her to turn and fly away.

She didn't stop until the sound of frantic shrieks stopped, and when she turned her head her precious home was no longer in sight. It was uncertain how long she had been flying for, both grief and determination had prevented her from tiring with time.

Dora could see ghosts up ahead; they were small, a great way off from her position, but she could see they were a good sized group. She flew fast, waving her arms as she went.

"Hello, over here!" she yelled, close enough to see the ghosts were all in uniforms, crisp and intimidating. The leader looked at her, his pinstriped suit standing out from the rest.

"A lost little lady all by 'erself out here?" he said, "Now that's definitely against the rules..."

* * *

Vlad wrung out a cold washcloth into the sink where he stood, his sleeves pinned up and hair slightly messy. It had taken an hour to get Daniel to eat and take another dose of medication, this one modified with fever reducer.

Still, another half hour later Daniel complained about being hot and whined about the cough that had just started, all while Vlad tried his best to be patient. A feat much easier said than done, as he'd grown to learn.

He returned to the space themed bedroom in question and Daniel was again holding his hands to his chest as he sat with his legs pulled up. Vlad sighed and draped the cloth around the back of his neck, making the boy jump.

"Hey!" Daniel yelped, coughing a bit afterwards.

"Stop that," said Vlad, taking Daniel's wrists into his hand and pulling them away from his chest. Daniel's voice broke out into that horrid tone that made Vlad's skin crawl.

"It's _too hot,"_ he said dramatically, though he didn't fight Vlad's hold.

"Your temperature has already gone down a bit, just endure a bit longer."

Vlad's grip loosened and Daniel wrapped his arms around his knees. As much as he wished he could take away the child's pain, he could only get his body back into condition to fight the sickness. The rest was up to Daniel.

"You're just _saying_ that. It's still totally _boiling_ in here," Daniel whined. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard to Vlad but he shook it off, keeping his cool.

"Relax. Why not lay down, hm?" said Vlad.

Daniel shook his head and coughed, which then set off a fit that left him gasping. Vlad had sent Godfrey a call for water to be brought up and then found himself unsure of what to do. If he'd known Daniel was going to get sick he might have picked up a parenting book on the subject but he couldn't simply do so now.

Vlad sat down again, watching helplessly as Daniel fidgeted, unable to stay still. The boy's chest had started to hurt again, and now he was coughing too. This must be one of the boy's unlucky weeks.

Godfrey entered a few minutes later with a pitcher of water and a glass. As soon as he had Daniel set to drinking some, he pulled Vlad aside with a serious expression.

"There was a call from the Ghost Zone," he said in a whisper. "It's an emergency. You're needed in the study as soon as possible."

"Who is it?" asked Vlad. Godfrey shook his head, eyeing Daniel.

"I can't leave him now, Godfrey," Vlad said with conviction.

Godfrey moved in front of him, blocking his view of the boy. He didn't know all of the details surrounding their guests visit but he needed Vlad to focus. Daniel was stable, for now at least. There was no urgency here besides that of a parent wanting to be near their suffering child.

"I'll stay," said Godfrey. "If anything changes I'll call you immediately, but please sir-"

"I can't Godfrey, not right now," Vlad interrupted. He heard Daniel put his glass down forcefully and sigh, letting loose a stray cough for good measure.

"Just go already," Daniel said, annoyed. "I'm not a baby you know. I can sit still and look pretty for a while without you."

As much as Vlad wanted to be hurt by his comment Daniel had a point. It was easy to forget he was approaching fifteen years of age. He vaguely wondered if he would hit a growth spurt soon...

"Then Godfrey is staying, so be good for him," Vlad teased, waving a hand condescendingly as he opened the door. "Father will be back soon!"

 _"Father_ should really get a cat!"

Vlad chuckled, closing the door behind him before more insults could be heard. He realized as he continued on that he had not asked Godfrey who had come through the portal. The butler knew there were only a handful of ghosts Vlad would let into his home without good reason, and he doubted Skulker had finished his project so soon...

He entered his study and immediately Walker's clean, white, glowing suit stood out against the dark ornate theme of his study. The skull-faced ghost was leaning on his desk with a cocky smirk, though Vlad was not the least intimidated.

"You've come at a bad time, Warden," Vlad said, somewhat threateningly.

"Sir Plasmius!"

Vlad's brows creased and he turned to his left, just noticing the woman sitting beside his bookcase. She was so silent he'd missed her entirely. The lady stood and he could then clearly see his visitor's face.

"What on Earth...?"

"Warden Walker tells me Danny is still under your protection, so I've come here looking for him." Dora said, trying her best to sound confident. "Something terrible has happened to my home and I need his help to save my people."

Vlad analyzed her carefully, tapping into his ghost side for a moment and smelling the faint smoke scent coming from her. Her clothes bore unseemly wrinkles and her hair was wind-whipped. She didn't appear to be lying so far; something had definitely happened.

"Daniel cannot help you," Vlad said, "but I'm curious to know why you need his aid so badly."

"Yer ghost friend and his copies wrecked the kingdom," Walker said, answering so Vlad understood. "Ivix set loose Aragon, and Danny Phantom is the only one that can put him back. Or so says the dragon girl..."

Dora nodded, dabbing at her eyes. Vlad was unsure of what to do, for once. He hadn't anticipated an attack so direct coming from a ghost known for trickery and manipulation. There was more to this and he was sure of it.

"I understand this must be hard for you," said Vlad to Dora. "So let's have a nice, calm dinner prepared and one of the maids can help you clean up. After that–"

"I'll tell you what you wish to know," Dora finished, "but in return I must speak to Danny myself. He will understand my situation better than anyone here."

 _'That is what I'm afraid of,'_ Vlad thought. Outwardly, he was the epitome of a gentleman.

"Of course, I'm sure he'll be excited to see you."

As Vlad used the intercom on his desk to summon his staff, he pulled Walker aside. The warden's presence alone was worrisome. If not for their plans he would question Walker's motives for helping Dora.

"What part do you play in this tragedy?" Vlad asked. Walker smirked, daring to shrug his shoulders.

"The damsel in distress had info on our ghost. It seemed appropriate to play rescuer."

Vlad didn't believe him in the slightest. But with Dora tight-lipped about the events until seeing his son, (who would not be allowed into the Ghost Zone for obvious reasons) he would push away his curiosity. At least for now.

"Surely you're not gonna follow through with your plan now that Prince Aragon is on his side?" Walker said. Vlad laughed softly, earning a confused glance from Dora.

"The plan stays." he said. "There is no dragon or ghost that can keep me from Maddie."

Walker rolled his eyes. Of all the weaknesses for a great and powerful ghost to have, it had to be a _woman._

"How _romantic..."_

Vlad's thought kept straying to Daniel and how he knew next to nothing about the relationship he had with Dora, or other passive ghosts. He'd learned quickly about Frostbite, (and would not be venturing out to the Far Frozen anytime soon) but he hardly knew anything about the non-villains Daniel had encountered. He hoped to change that soon enough.

A couple of maids arrived to escort Dora to a guest room and Vlad dismissed Walker with little thought. Of all the times for Ivix to strike he'd chosen now, when he was drowning in work, needed to plan a social party and had a sick halfa in his home.

It was just another Tuesday in the Masters household...

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Vlad's attack on Ivix gets put off in favor of revealing Daniel Masters to the world. Danny on the other hand, has other plans...** _

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think.
> 
> If you're review-shy I accept "SPARKLES" as a positive review :P
> 
> -P


	29. If I Relent

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 29: If I Relent**

Vlad's fist landed with a heavy 'thud!' on his expensive desk. His eyes were blazing with ire and panic.

"This cannot happen!" Vlad shouted, his voice so loud it slammed against the study's walls. "Daniel cannot be allowed to see this woman. The first thing he'll do is jump through my portal headfirst!"

Godfrey had led Dora away nearly an hour ago to clean up and alerted Jazz to the situation. With any luck she would keep Dora occupied for a while.

"That ghost chose the biggest wrench he could find to throw into my plans," said Vlad with a huff. "Unbelievable."

Vlad knew he couldn't ignore Dora forever, but he sure as hell could try. After successfully hiding Daniel away for months now all his hard work was going right down the drain and he refused to sit back and watch.

Sinking into his cushioned desk chair, Vlad let out a frustrated sigh. He'd done nothing but worry over Daniel for so long that it was enough to make even a Masters weary.

'How is Daniel still alive after nearly a year of doing this alone?' Vlad thought, remembering his own struggles. He hadn't chosen the heroic and dangerous path as Daniel did, but he'd still had his moments of stress and anxiety.

He suddenly felt a chill wash over him. Holding in the shudder creeping up his back Vlad sat up straight and held his breath, listening intently. His ghost sense wasn't quite as physical as Phantom's but it still caused a reaction. And this ectosignature ran cold, so it couldn't be Dora…

His suspicions were proven correct when the study door opened without a single knock or call. Vlad crossed his arms and put on a stern face.

"Those with the desire to heal would know better than to leave their beds." said Vlad as a sleepy, pajama-clad Daniel entered.

"I couldn't sleep," said Daniel rubbing watery eyes rimmed red with fever. Vlad's lips pressed into a tight line.

He grabbed some paperwork he needed to get done and gestured for Daniel to follow him to the couch against the far wall. Daniel stretched out across the seat lazily while Vlad settled himself on the end.

After a few seconds he carefully let some of his dormant ectoenergy come through to heat the room as well as set off Daniel's ghost sense. The boy shuddered a bit but relaxed immediately after.

"Any particular reason you're unable to fall asleep?" asked Vlad. Danny rolled over onto his back.

"Not really," Daniel answered, a bit too casually. Vlad dismissed it as his own paranoia and looked down at his paperwork. Nothing but sloppy proposals and boring reports.

"By the way," said Vlad. "There is something I wanted to talk to you about."

Daniel looked up at Vlad through his sweaty white bangs. "Yeah?"

"I'm hosting an event soon," Vlad told him, keeping his eyes on the paper in his hands. "Assuming you are well by then, you'll be attending."

He kept his expression neutral while Daniel's gaze bore into him, as if the boy thought he was being tested. Finally Daniel rolled his eyes and then closed them.

"Yeah, right," he scoffed.

"I'm serious," said Vlad, "you need to interact with other people now and then, little badger."

"I'm not a big fan of acting snobby just for the sake of 'interaction'," said Daniel, "but thanks anyway."

Vlad let out a soft chuckle and reached over to ruffle Daniel's hair. As he neared he could feel the heat radiating off Daniel and lay his palm against the teenager's forehead instead. It wasn't much hotter than before, but it certainly wasn't getting better.

"I'm fine," said Daniel in a soft mumble. If Vlad didn't have sensitive hearing he might have missed it.

"A blatant lie," Vlad said, removing his hand.

Admittedly, he was worried at how little Daniel had argued or even cared about his upcoming event. He'd expected at least a near fist fight. It wasn't like Daniel to roll over and simply do what he was told.

Still Vlad kept quiet, his only relief coming in the form of Daniel's eyes finally closing and his breath evening out. It seemed rest could help almost anything...

* * *

The day was downright dismal.

With Danny out of commission and her eyes feeling strained from all the reading, Jazz Fenton had found an all new meaning of the word _boring_. Her need to scour Vlad's libraries could only be satisfied so many times!

And to top it all off, the cheesehead had found another ghostly mess to get involved in. As Jazz walked down a particularly long corridor she wondered just how long she could take living in this house. Constantly being surrounded by silence and isolation was not at all good for a healthy teenage psyche.

When Godfrey had called her upstairs she'd been attempting to figure out how to play the video games Danny had in the basement theatre. It took nearly half an hour just to figure out how to turn the volume off of full blast, after which she was finally able to concentrate enough to learn that it was not ghosts but zombies attacking her in disturbing realness.

"So much blood…" she said with a shiver.

Jazz made her way to the correct sitting room Dora was supposed to be in and took a second outside the door, listening. No sound could be heard inside but there was a faint change in the temperature. Living with Danny helped her hone her senses and she could tell right away that it was not a normal spike of heat.

Jazz entered the room with a friendly smile on her face. "Hello? Dora?"

The room had a large window spanning the entirety of its far wall, letting in lots of bright light. Dora was seated right in front of said window in the corner, surrounded by flowers in decorated vases that looked as if they belonged in an art museum.

She was dressed in a long, modest dress of blue velvet accented with gold lining and jewels. It couldn't possibly have been from her era but it looked beautiful on her all the same.

"Good afternoon sister of Danny Phantom!" Dora said cheerily.

"It's just Jazz, thanks," she replied. "What's all of this?"

Dora held up the freshly picked lily she'd been admiring with a bit of embarrassment. "I'd mentioned how we don't get to see many things like this in the ghost's realm, and within seconds the servants were bringing them by the bushel."

Jazz recognized a few such as the classic wild roses, morning glories, and daffodils; all parts of gorgeous bouquets dressed in ornate, slim vessels big and small.

"It's hard to imagine being surrounded by swirling green all the time, with no clouds, stars or fauna…" said Jazz. Dora chuckled softly, hidden behind a gloved hand.

"There are plenty of beautiful sights in our realm as well, you know," she told Jazz."It just might take a bit of searching, since it is such a fearsome place that everything it grows is, well..."

"Evil?" Jazz suggested.

 _"Complicated,"_ said Dora, "Nothing is ever born evil. Not even a ghost."

Jazz nodded in understanding though she wasn't so sure she agreed. But Dora probably knew much more than Jazz did about that kind of thing.

Jazz took a seat opposite Dora and sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Dora replied. Jazz looked her in the eyes as confidently as she could.

"Did you really help Vlad find Danny on Ivix's Island?" asked Jazz. At Dora's surprised look she explained, "I may have overheard a conversation or two…"

Dora chuckled softly behind her hand and shifted her gaze to the window. Jazz frowned, unsure if she was being laughed with or laughed at.

"I did tell Sir Plasmius where Danny was, yes," she said.

"Why?" Jazz asked, "I'm glad you did, but…I thought you were on my brother's side?"

She was glad Danny came out of that fight alive but couldn't help wanting to understand Dora's reasoning. The Queen knew Danny was on a secret mission, so why expose him?

"I wasn't certain I should, at first." Dora replied honestly. "But there was something different about Sir Plasmius that I couldn't ignore."

"About Vlad…?" Jazz said, raising an eyebrow. Dora turned to face Jazz once more.

"I'd like to ask _you_ something now, if I may," said Dora.

Jazz still wanted to know more about Dora's encounter with Vlad but decided not to push it. She knew an uncomfortable response when she heard one. Jazz nodded to Dora and relaxed into her seat.

"Why is Sir Plasmius hiding Danny from me?" Dora asked.

Jazz looked confused. "What do you mean by hiding?"

"I've tried to get an audience with your brother since I came here and I have been given no explanation as to why that has not happened." Dora explained, a bit of irritation worming its way into her voice.

Jazz looked down at the ground, deep in thought. Danny was technically being hidden, yes, but not from Dora or any other ghost allies. Why would Vlad not want Danny to see her?

"Is he not really here?" Dora asked worriedly, clasping her hands together in her lap.

"He is, I promise." said Jazz, "Danny's perfectly fine- well, sort of anyway. He's sick."

"What?" said Dora in surprise. "How is that possible?"

Jazz flinched at the sudden excitement. "Uh, because he's half human?" she replied.

"Did the sacred relic not work? No, there's not a chance it wouldn't heal him completely, but then how…?" Dora wasn't talking to Jazz anymore, tapping her chin as she tried desperately to figure something out.

Jazz meanwhile, was completely lost. She had no clue as to what Dora was talking about, or whom she was even referring to anymore.

"What kind of relic?" Jazz finally asked. Dora looked up after a few more moments of silence.

"The earring I gave Danny when he visited was a very powerful, ancient relic that is meant to push the user to use power they wouldn't normally be able to tap into. It works best when the situation is dire." Dora looked down again. "It takes a toll on the body, but with the earring in and a day or two of rest he should have replenished all of the energy lost."

Though what Dora was saying made much more sense, there was still something off. Jazz ran a hand through her hair as she thought back to the last time she saw her brother, and as far back as when he came back unconscious from the Ghost Zone.

"I have never seen Danny with an earring, I didn't even notice his ear was pierced." she said, realizing what might be wrong. "What would happen if he didn't rest it off like you said?"

"Exactly what seems to have happened, sadly." said Dora, "Only, if we don't get that earring back his core could be permanently damaged over time. I don't think it's likely for a ghost like Phantom to succumb to the strain, but it's a serious possibility."

"Well then, looks like we've gotta find this relic," Jazz said with a sigh. "There's no rest for the weary in this world."

* * *

Waking up had never been so hard. It was a seriously underrated privilege to simply get up and be alert.

Danny slowly began to come to and the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in bed, and then the scent of paper and leather. Definitely not his bedroom. Finally he opened his eyes and the numbness in his body melted away.

He immediately wished he was asleep.

Everything hurt. The sudden realization made his eyes sting with liquid he refused to recognize as tears. Blinking quickly he took a deep breath- which, turned out to be a bad idea, since his throat felt as if he'd swallowed a sword whole. He ended up coughing roughly into his arm, startling the person he was currently using as a pillow.

"Daniel?!" Vlad called worriedly, helping him into a sitting position. Danny finished his hacking and focused on catching his breath.

"You weren't coughing before," said Vlad, "Something else to add to list of things to be treated."

Danny shook his head, still gasping. If Vlad thought he was getting worse he'd up the dosage. No way was he taking more of that medicinal gunk than he had to.

"Is the cough why you couldn't sleep?" Vlad asked him, ignoring Danny's defiance.

Finally able to breathe somewhat comfortably, Danny replied, "Yeah…it kept waking me up."

Danny moved to a better position, pulling his knees up and curling around them. Vlad pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and Danny didn't bother fighting.

"Anything else I should hear about?" Vlad asked, putting some firmness into his voice. He was lucky enough to be in charge of a child that always aimed to please, and hated disappointing others. A stern word was often all he needed to get his Daniel talking.

"I don't know," Danny said, exasperated. "I just ache all over. And my chest hurts."

"Are you sure it's your chest, not your core?" asked Vlad, "Chest pain could mean a respiratory infection, which we can treat. But if it's your core, it could be dangerous."

"I _said_ I don't _know,"_ Danny said, his tone stretching a bit with his growing irritability.

Not a soul in the world could have pulled a better answer from him. The longer he was awake the more he wished that he wasn't, and his building discomfort was a direct cause.

"I know you're not feeling well," said Vlad, "but don't think for a moment it means you're free to whine at me."

Danny looked over at Vlad and saw the firmness in his expression. Though he doubted he would get in trouble while sick (Vlad was much too soft sometimes), he didn't want to anger the only person that could actually punish him.

"Sorry," Danny said, "it's…my core. Feels like it's on fire."

"You're surprisingly calm to be on fire," Vlad said with a raised eyebrow. Danny shrugged.

"Got used to the pain. Ghost fighting, remember?" said Danny, wincing when his throat began protesting any further talking. He was grateful, since he didn't want to keep lying. He really wasn't all that great with pain, but he couldn't let Vlad know that.

Vlad noticed his tension and didn't question any further. He got up and went to the intercom, leaving Danny to spread out on the couch and relax. Or try to, anyway.

He could hear what Vlad was saying, but didn't care to tune in. That is, until he heard the mentioning of a 'guest'. Danny cracked an eye open and listened, but he couldn't make sense of what Vlad was talking about other than he wasn't happy about it. Danny's vision began to blur, forcing him to close his eye again.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Danny didn't think anything of it until he heard the person on the other side pleading.

"Sir Plasmius, please open up!"

The sound of a door opening was all the indication Danny received that Vlad might have heard the voice too. He recognized it, but for some reason couldn't place it. Stupid cold.

There were voices around him now, fading in and out. His name was being called every so often but he was too tired to respond. The only thing keeping him from falling asleep was the grounding hand pressed to his shoulder, strong and firm. His father's hand.

No, that wasn't right. His father's hands were large, not slender, and gloved, never bare. _His_ father spoke loudly and with a booming voice, one that could shake the walls and make Danny's sensitive ears hurt. But this father had a calm tone, soft but stern, and always strong.

Danny loved them both. Why couldn't he have the both of them? There was probably a reason, he just couldn't remember. It was hard to remember anything with how much his core was bothering him.

There was a hand on both shoulders now, shaking him gently. Danny tried to open his eyes but they refused to budge. Why couldn't this father just let him sleep?

"Daniel!" a voice broke through, fearful but low and even. "Don't fall asleep!"

Only one person ever called him 'Daniel'. To everyone else there was just plain old Danny, always in some kind of trouble.

"Please, little badger," came the voice again, "just open your eyes for me."

But Danny was _so tired._ Not just physically, but tired of the stress, sadness, and pain his life had been consumed by. Why on Earth would he want to go back to it?

"I'll do better, I promise." Again, the voice interrupted. "It'll be so much better for you here, just give me another chance, alright? Just one more..."

He could feel energy starting to return to his body, yet he still didn't want to move. But his father's voice kept calling him, and this time it had sounded more distraught, cracking and pitched as if…

Danny mustered the strength he had left and opened his eyes.

"Don't cry, dad."

* * *

Jazz had opened the door, being the first to push past Vlad and get to Daniel. Dora was second, explaining frantically what the two had discovered.

"I _need_ that relic, Sir Plasmius," said Dora. "Before Danny's core can no longer take the strain."

"I understand that!" Vlad exclaimed, running a hand down his face. "If I knew where it was I would have sent Godfrey for it already."

Dora and Vlad looked on as Jazz knelt next to Danny. The boy was barely clinging to consciousness, but surely he wasn't fading just yet.

There was still time.

"Think," Dora said, "when was the last time you saw Danny wearing an earring?"

"An earring?" Vlad said, his eyes widening. He remembered now… "After the fight, that girl took it out- to stop him from continuing the battle!"

"You mean Sam?" Jazz said, standing. "I can get it then. I'll call her and get her to meet up with me."

"My only concern is whether Danny can hold on for that long. His core is already weakening." Dora told them worriedly.

Vlad fell instantly into a panic as he realized Dora was right. Daniel's signature was weaker than usual, especially for his ghost form.

"Take Godfrey. He'll get you there quickly." said Vlad, trying to sound unaffected. "Now go!"

Jazz dashed out of the room and out of sight. Vlad then knelt down beside Daniel and put a hand on his shoulder. The boy was burning up. His entire body felt entirely too warm.

"I did this," Vlad said softly, "I should've just told him the truth, then he would have never gone into the Ghost Zone in the first place!"

"Don't blame yourself now, he still needs you," said Dora.

Vlad sat completely still next to Daniel, watching and waiting. Dora sat down beside him and put a hand on his arm, drawing him back to reality with her touch.

"We must try to keep him awake, his core is weakening too fast," Dora said.

As he grabbed hold of Daniel's shoulders, Vlad shook him as firmly as he dared, calling out.

"Daniel! Don't fall asleep!" he said.

There was no indication he was heard. Daniel's face was not completely relaxed but the remaining tension there was quickly fading.

"Perhaps we can slow the process if we transfer a bit of our energy," she said, "You are one of his kind, so your energy may help even more."

With a quick nod and a new sense of determination Vlad let go of Daniel and held his palm over the teen's chest. A small, glowing, pink light danced around his fingers as he concentrated on what he was attempting to do.

A ghost's core was extremely sensitive, and even more so if said core had a temperature preference. Daniel may not like the heat but if it would keep him conscious for a while longer, Vlad didn't care.

When Daniel still showed no improvement Vlad increased the amount of energy he was putting out, despite his hand shaking with the strain. Dora put a hand out to stop him, seeing his struggle.

"Please don't push yourself," she said. "You'll only make things worse. I do not need two patients to attend to."

Vlad wasn't listening, instead watching closely as the last bit of tension started to leave Daniel's body. Any remnants of the anger or frustration he'd felt earlier were gone, replaced by worry and panic. He had forgotten what it felt like until Daniel began living with him and had made it his personal mission to give Vlad regular heart attacks.

"Please little badger, just open your eyes for me," he said urgently. Dora gave up moving his hand and settled hers atop it, providing her own energy alongside Vlad's.

"At this rate he'll be comatose by the time they return," Dora said worriedly.

Vlad could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears, drowning out his rational thought. Daniel was going to slip right through his fingers. After all the growth and compromise they'd achieved the past few months, he wouldn't even get to enjoy the result. He wouldn't get to hear Daniel chattering and calling him 'father' with that awkward expression on his face.

"I'll do better, I promise," Vlad pleaded, his vision blurring. "It'll be so much better for you here. Just give me one more chance, alright? Just one more…"

His arm gave out then, forcing him and Dora to stop trying to jumpstart Daniel's body. Vlad held his breath, watching the boy's face as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

But he didn't move. Daniel stayed completely still on his back, relaxed. Vlad dropped his head to his chest, unsure of what to do.

It wasn't fair, he didn't deserve to lose Daniel! He'd finally feeling like the universe was giving him a chance, letting him have the family he'd always wanted, and now…it was as if fate was laughing at him.

If he didn't have Daniel, his life was meaningless.

A hand touched his cheek and he suddenly felt angry. Dora had given Daniel the relic in the first place, even telling him where Ivix was so he could go on with his reckless mission! Vlad's head snapped up, red eyes blazing with hate as he opened his mouth to yell.

But the two green eyes he saw froze him in place.

"Don't cry dad," said Daniel, just as the moisture in Vlad's eyes turned to drops racing down his face. It lasted only a second, a single moment of vulnerability between him and Daniel before Vlad was regaining his composure.

"Then don't worry me so much," Vlad said with a half-hearted chuckle. Daniel's hand drew back and he looked around in a daze.

"Dora's here?" he said, his voice slurred and soft. Dora smiled at him and moved closer.

"It's me, Danny." she said sweetly. "Why don't you sit and talk to us for a while, so you won't get tired again?"

Daniel started to sit up and Vlad hurried to help, his uncharacteristically frantic actions making Daniel laugh. The sound was like music to his ears.

"What did I miss?" Daniel asked. "When did you get here, Dora? And what the heck just happened to me?"

"One at a time, little badger," said Vlad, sneaking in a temperature check by resting his hand on Daniel's neck. To Vlad's relief his body was much cooler than before.

"What's important is that I must apologize to you," Dora said with her head bowed. "I should have told you not to take out the relic I gave you. If I had, you would've healed properly and avoided this mess."

"The earring made me like this?" asked Danny.

He remembered Sam taking it out of his ear after the battle. It was like an instant spell of vertigo had hit him and he'd passed out within seconds. The relic was more powerful than either of them had realized.

Vlad stood suddenly, eyes unfocused. Danny moved to question him but Vlad raised a hand to quiet him. After a few seconds, Danny could hear it too. The front door had opened and there were voices beneath them.

"They've returned," said Dora, looking up at Vlad.

"Who?" Danny asked. Vlad ignored him, moving his hand to inspect Danny's left ear.

"The piercing has sealed," he said, "We'll have to do it again."

Danny's shoulders slumped at the news, but he said nothing. Dora went and opened the door as loud thumping footsteps could be heard in the hall.

"Danny!" he heard just as Sam's figure could be seen almost as a blur running toward him. She pushed a small box into his hand quickly, his sister followed close behind.

"I'm sorry," she said, "if I had known you needed this-"

"It's not your fault, Sam," said Jazz.

"Now is not the time!" Vlad snapped, taking the box and removing the earring. Dora stepped forward.

"I'll do it," she said gently, wary of Vlad's mood. "The area will be more sensitive the second time around."

Vlad handed it to her reluctantly and she knelt beside Danny. She put it to his ear and he tensed. Dora hesitated, not wanting to hurt him, but Sam put a hand on her arm and shook her head.

"Just do it randomly, surprise pain is the best when dealing with a ghost-powered boy," said Sam, grabbing Danny's hand. Dora nodded and went ahead with it after a few seconds of silence.

A grunt was all Danny let out before letting out a cold breath. "That wasn't so bad."

"That was the easy part," said Dora, "Now your core will be flooded with healing energy, like…"

"A jumpstart," Vlad finished. His arms were crossed and his eyes were regaining their usual malice. "Something else that could have been avoided had Miss Manson minded her place."

"It's not her fault," Danny said, rolling his eyes. "You don't need to make an enemy out of everyone, okay? I'm fine, alr-!"

A rush of cold washed over him and Danny was forced to still. Pain shot down from his head to his toes, striking particularly harsh at his chest.

Sam was the first to react. She grabbed Danny's hand and pressed it flat against hers, their fingertips touching. Vlad knelt down to try and calm Danny but Sam held up her free hand, glaring at him in warning.

"How bad?" she asked, taking in his tightly closed eyes and tensed muscles. After a few seconds she felt his ring finger pressed against hers.

They'd used this technique more times than she wished to admit. Danny got hurt more often now with his accumulating list of enemies.

Her thumb represented 'one', her pointer finger 'two', and on down to five. Danny didn't like talking through pain, and telling him what she was going to do before she did it was a big no-no. If he tensed and anticipated it his ghost powers might decide to intervene. She'd gotten shot at more times trying to stitch him up than in battle!

After several attempts they'd come up with their technique. And so far it had worked for every round of stitches or even the occasional reset bone.

"Is it just your chest now?" asked Sam. Her thumb could also be used as a yes, with her little finger being the opposite. She waited a minute, and finally felt a small push against her thumb.

"What does that mean?" Vlad asked, eyeing the two. "What is this?"

"We came up with it a while back when we started fighting more ghosts," said Sam, "It's getting better, right Danny?"

"Yeah," he said, raising his head and giving a small smile. "Thanks, Sam."

They broke contact and Sam stepped back, a hint of pink on her cheeks. Jazz let out a breath and sat down on the couch.

"Let's not mess with any more ancient, spooky relics, okay guys?" she said loudly. While the others laughed, Vlad wasn't amused.

"While I'm glad you are no longer dying," he said, eyeing Danny, "I think you and I should head upstairs, you still need to rest this off at least one more night."

Danny knew Vlad well enough by now to know that he was telling half the truth. He also knew he was doomed if he didn't listen.

"But why?" said Sam, "I'm not leaving until I know for sure he's okay, Plasmius."

"It's fine," said Danny, standing up and stretching. "You can just stay here tonight. I'm sure there's a dark enough room somewhere."

"This was once _my_ house, you know," said Vlad as he led the two away from the group.

"You have more than enough room," said Danny dismissively. "But what do you really want to talk about?"

As they approached his bedroom Danny changed back into his human form for the first time in what felt like ages. It was strange to feel things like his heart beating and the need to breathe.

"I'll be blunt," said Vlad as he and Danny entered the bedroom. "What am I to you?"

Danny stared in confusion for a moment, unsure of what Vlad was getting at.

"Do you remember what you said when you woke up? What you called me?" Vlad asked. Danny's face went beet red and his eyes shot straight down to the floor.

"I wasn't really thinking, I didn't understand what- I don't know...!" Danny said in a rush of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, honest. That wasn't supposed to come out like that."

"You regret it?" asked Vlad, his face neutral and difficult to read. If he was angry, he wasn't showing it.

"What? I don't know!" Danny replied hastily.

He dropped onto the edge of the bed, staring at the space-themed designs. He was kicking himself for getting himself into this situation in the first place.

"We tend to say what we really think when we feel vulnerable," said Vlad, "Daniel…"

All of a sudden Danny was forced to meet Vlad's sincere, cobalt eyes. The hand on his chin was firm and grounding, as always.

"You don't need my permission to call me 'dad'. I know I can't replace Jack, but perhaps I can put a different meaning to the term," he said. Danny was silent for several moments, thinking carefully.

"It's not that simple," he said finally, "Some days I want nothing but to hate you and go back to being enemies, back to Danny Fenton. Other days I like training, listening to you talk about your work or helping you in the lab...and I just want to fit in as Daniel Masters."

"I understand," Vlad said, letting go of Danny. "How about you just call me whatever it is you feel strongest in that moment, alright?"

Danny nodded in agreement. At least he wasn't forced to keep calling him 'father' anymore. Vlad lifted his hand to feel his forehead and smirked.

"Back to normal it seems," he said. "Too bad, I was just beginning to enjoy the silence."

"Hey!"

Back to normal indeed.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Vlad's schemes deepen, as does his guilt.** _

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're review shy, I accept 'SPARKLES' as a good rating :P
> 
> see you soon,  
> -P


	30. My Secret, Your Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recap:  
> Danny and Vlad have come through yet another challenge in their alliance, and with Danny alive and well again the two must now try and return to normal. Vlad's gala is one week away, and with it comes new fears about what he is hiding from Danny and what it could mean for their newly forged trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I know, long time no see. I lost my mojo for a while, and needed to step back. Now I'm trying really hard to get back into the swing of things.

_**The Life We Fight For** _

**Chapter 30, PART I: My Secret, Your Safety**

If you had asked Vlad a month ago what he thought about lying, he wouldn't have needed a moment to answer. If you'd visited the Masters Mansion at that time, you would have noticed the lonely atmosphere and tense air.

Perhaps if you spoke with the staff, they would tell you the stories of their stern and cold employer, a man transfixed by a family not his own. Said man would have done whatever possible to crush his enemies, to gain power and overcome adversaries for the simple sake of greed. All without a shred of remorse.

But even as Vlad gazed at his own angry, red eyes in the mirror, he struggled to remember the days he considered himself ruthless. The half ghost he had become was slipping before his eyes, falling piece by piece and leaving both Masters and Plasmius behind. Light was pouring in and the shadows that protected him were falling away.

He was going soft.

A chill ran down his spine as he stepped away from the mirror, walking quickly out of the master bathroom. There was another ectosignature present in the mansion.

Godfrey met him in the hall, concerned about the visitor.

"Keeping Daniel in the dark after all you've done to gain his trust, doesn't it seem a bit backwards, sir?" said Godfrey, wringing his hands as they walked.

"If my plan goes smoothly, it will all have been for his benefit." Vlad replied. "Besides, Walker will be at the forefront of this mission, not I."

Godfrey did not look convinced, but was wise enough to push no further. With his study in view, Vlad glanced at the time and tensed.

"Daniel's time with Samantha will be ending soon," he told Godfrey. "Make sure he does not disturb me, or even come close enough to sense Walker."

After Godfrey departed from his side to do his bidding, Vlad entered his study to find Walker waiting for him. The warden stood from the couch he'd been resting on to greet him.

"If it isn't the mastermind 'imself," said Walker, flashing a toothy smile.

"I have better things to do with my time than meet with you, warden." Vlad said. "Report."

"We've completed the last of our preparations, my men are just about ready to head out." Walker's smile had faded at the reminder of his guards but Vlad paid it no attention. The sacrifice would be worth the gain.

"Good. We'll commence with the plan in one week's time."

Walker looked at him incredulously, arms crossing over his bony chest. "Why wait? The sooner this is done, the better!"

Vlad's hands clenched, his gloves straining under the pressure. This weekend was the event he'd asked Godfrey to plan, and also marked the third month since Daniel had come to ask for his help. He had to be there. He couldn't risk the possibility of the plan going awry and losing a chance for even one more good memory with the boy.

"It can most certainly wait," said Vlad, "or are you that eager to be rid of your own subordinates?"

Walker didn't take the bait, merely bristling at Vlad's comment. "This ain't a game no more. you heard what the princess girl said, this monster is out for blood. Yours, and the brat's."

Vlad's hand came down hard on the desk's surface, rattling the contents there and making an impressive _'Bang'! a_ s it landed. Walker didn't flinch, but his eye sockets widened significantly.

"Don't tell me what I already know," said Vlad, his voice dangerously low. "I'll do as I please with the time I have left until then, and you should stay out of it."

"This is about the boy after all, ain't it?" Walker spat, recovered and now unfazed. "Can't stand to be away from him for one day, can you? What, are you in l-"

Vlad flew at Walker and grabbed his throat before he could finish, using his momentum to push him back until the skeleton ghost was pressed against the wall. Squeezing tight around Walker's throat, Vlad leaned close until he was staring him down with blazing, ruby colored eyes.

"Do not ever," Vlad's hand tightened. _"Ever ,_ insinuate such a thing ever again, or I'll break your bones into so many pieces you'll be unrecognizable."

Walker frantically nodded, trying desperately to pry Vlad's fingers from his neck. When Vlad finally did free him, he collapsed to his knees, coughing and sputtering.

"You _will_ wait for me as I've instructed," said Vlad angrily. "Unless you'd rather lead the charge alongside your men when the time comes?"

"I meant no disrespect, sir, I swear." Walker said quickly, pushing himself up off the ground. "We'll postpone the mission until you're ready."

Vlad wrenched open the door to his study, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the hallway. Walker wasted no time following the silent order to leave.

"Bother me for something so trivial again, and I won't be this lenient." Vlad told him as Walker departed just as quickly as he'd come.

With the warden out of his sight, Vlad slammed the door shut and sank into his desk chair, a hand pressed to his temple to soothe the ache there. Had he conversed much longer Vlad feared he would not have had the nerve to follow through with his plan, wanting too earnestly to avoid hiding the truth from Daniel.

He had to remind himself that the importance of keeping Daniel safe was worth possibly breaking his trust. Ivix had taken over the boy's mind before, there was no telling whether his memories were up for grabs as well. He couldn't risk his plan getting exposed.

Vlad sighed and reached for a sheet laying in the desk. A list of the guests he'd invited to dinner this weekend, arranged by Godfrey. All had children, most around Daniel's age. If Vlad could help Daniel see that the 'rich kid' life he so despised was not so bad, perhaps he would be more interested in being a Masters.

Filthy rich or not, teenagers were still teenagers, right?

* * *

The morning after their ordeal, Sam and Danny took refuge in the private theater to catch up. Neither of them really wanted to bring up what transpired the night before, so Sam took it upon herself to tell Danny about all that he'd missed at school.

"The Lunch Lady showed up at school last week," she said. "Lucky too, because it was an 'all meat' day in the cafeteria and I needed an excuse to ditch…"

Though her friend laughed with a smile on his face, Sam knew him well enough to tell his heart wasn't in it. Ever since they had come to him for help, Vlad and their many issues were all Danny ever had on his mind. Sam's gaze shifted to the ground.

"Have you thought about what you'll do, you know, when this is all over?" Asked Sam. Danny gave her a quizzical look.

"…Should I?"

Sam rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Though she cared for him dearly, Danny could be thick as a brick sometimes.

"What if- hypothetically, you end up staying here with Vlad?" she asked, continuing quickly when Danny pulled an uncomfortable face. "What happens then? You transfer to a rich kid school, and we never see you again? Will you stop being Phantom?"

Danny rubbed at the back of his neck, thinking. His future was a topic he'd been avoiding for a while now, especially with Vlad.

"There's no way that would ever happen," he said. "I'm going to fix this so that everything will work out and go back to normal, promise."

"But do you still want that?" Sam questioned, frowning. "With everything that's happened, you just want to go back to being enemies with Vlad and hiding your identity at school?"

If Sam had asked him these things a month ago, Danny would have had a definitive answer they both agreed on. Now, doubt clouded his judgement. He didn't see the world as all black or white anymore.

"Vlad _has_ changed me, and I've also changed him. We can't go back to the way we were even if we both wanted to," said Danny quietly.

"So what're you gonna do?" Sam asked. "Vlad won't just let you go, not now."

"He has to," Danny answered. "There's nothing that can make me abandon my family, or my friends. I think the needy fruitloop is finally starting to see that."

Sam laughed softly, relaxing for the first time since she'd arrived. Danny smiled as well, realising how much he'd missed hearing her laugh. It brought more thoughts of the things he'd been missing; Tucker's jokes, Lancer's lectures on prose, his parents' antics, the feeling of flying free over the town at night on patrol…

"I swear I'll make everything right again, even if it takes all I have," said Danny sincerely. Sam was smiling, but didn't look entirely convinced. Before either could say anything more, the doors opened behind them.

Dora entered, once again decked out in jewels and velvet. She gave Danny a gentle nod and a warm smile in greeting.

"I am here to inform your friend that her parents have requested her return," she said, looking apologetically to Sam. She then addressed Danny. "Sir Plasmius will also be busy today, and will be unavailable for your lessons, Danny."

Sam stood, letting out a loud breath as she did. "Hopefully I don't get in too much trouble this time."

Danny moved to follow and escort her when she shook her head at him and eyed Dora, who had remained in the doorway after delivering her message. With worry now invading his expression, he let Sam head off and sure enough, Dora stayed behind.

"Have you gotten a tour of the place yet, Dora?" asked Danny. Dora smiled appreciatively and shook her head.

"We may explore later," she said, "I'd like you to take me to your room of learning right now."

Danny raised an eyebrow, following Dora out of the theatre. "The classroom? Why?"

"Sir Plasmius has asked me to fill in for him today," Dora replied, walking purposefully down the corridor. Danny started to get a bad feeling in his chest.

"To teach me what, History?" he asked, falling reluctantly in step with her. "Wait, is it ghost related?"

"I was told there was an event you're expected to attend soon, I'm going to help you prepare for it." Dora smiled, trying not to giggle when Danny's mouth popped open.

He was going to kill Vlad. Danny had made it quite clear he had no interest in the stupid dinner party, but Vlad was making him go anyway. And since attending apparently wasn't enough, now he had to take _etiquette classes?_ With _Dora?!_

"I really don't think that's necessary," Danny reasoned. "I could act proper if I wanted to, pull out chairs for the girls, talk about the weather, put my napkin in my lap...trust me Dora, it'll just be a waste of your time."

Dora let out a chuckle this time. "I was not instructed to show you how to be 'proper', Danny," she said.

"Then, what?"

"Sir Plasmius specifically instructed me to give you- well, let's call it 'Royalty Training'," Dora explained, watching as Danny led them up a flight of stairs and around a corner without thought. He'd gotten the layout of the mansion nearly memorized, as if he'd lived there forever.

"And what do I need Royalty Training for?" Danny asked, opening the door to his classroom to find most of the space cleared away, with shelves and chairs pushed up against the wall.

"To act like someone worthy of your titles," Dora said, "I am a queen. I had to learn to act like one, sound like one, and move like one. It's not as easy as it seems to act 'proper'."

Danny immediately frowned. "But I really don't want to change. Being snobby and pretentious just isn't me."

Dora nodded in understanding and led Danny to the middle of the room. She stood with her back straight and head high, looking down at the halfa with kind eyes. Her fingers were woven together across her navel and her presence seemed to become the biggest and most intimidating thing in the room.

"Am I not still Dora to you like this?" she asked him. Danny didn't look sold, but nodded his head all the same.

"Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are certainly different, aren't they?" Dora reminded him, then with a smile adding, "Daniel Masters can be just as much a part of you as they are. Still you, still a hero, but also adapting to what's going on around you."

"There's nothing going on around me," Danny muttered, remaining unconvinced.

Dora grasped his shoulders and gently turned Danny around. He tensed under her touch, uncomfortable with anyone being behind him. Often he would sleep on his back, able to scan the whole room as soon as he woke up for threats. His current position wasn't pleasant at all.

"Close your eyes and relax," Dora said softly, waiting for Danny to let out a breath before continuing. "Imagine the room is full of people you don't know. All dressed in fine clothes and talking amongst themselves, not taking any notice of you."

"Okay," Danny said, not sure where this was going.

"You are the only ghost in the room," Dora continued, her hands tensing around his shoulders. "You sense danger, and your powers tell you a ghost is near, moving quickly. If nothing is done, people are going to hurt."

"Then I'd evacuate the room," Danny answered simply. "And go after the ghost once the area is clear."

"You can definitely try," Dora said, "but this is a room full of important, powerful people, they won't go running scared because a young halfa told them to."

Dora pulled back on Danny shoulders, then poked his spine, causing him to tense and straighten his posture. She then reached over and carefully pushed his chin up, so that he wasn't facing the ground anymore.

"Your presence is noticeable now but your message doesn't seem to be getting through." Dora said, her voice wavering. "There's not much time left. If you're forced to fight with everyone inside, someone could be seriously injured…or worse. Make them listen to you, Daniel."

Though he still thought this exercise ridiculous, Danny decided to play along, if only to get it over with.

"Everyone needs to leave, like right now!" Danny said as loudly as he could. Dora let go of him.

"You're Daniel _Masters_ , surely there's more authority and eloquence you can put into that command," she said, almost taunting him. Danny's hands clenched.

She was right, Danny knew. Daniel Masters wouldn't have a problem demanding respect and using it to save lives. He couldn't truly be the snobby rich kid Vlad wanted, but he *could* be a hero, no matter how he needed to act to do so.

"Listen to me," Danny ordered. his voice echoing as he tapped into his Phantom side. "You all need to get out. _Now._ "

Dora smiled, finally hearing Danny sound confident for the first time since she'd arrived. She clapped loudly and Danny flinched, his eyes flickering open. He groaned dramatically and dropped his head into his hands.

"I can't believe I did that," Danny said, cheeks tinged red. "You can't just use my hero complex to tell me to fix my posture!"

"It worked, didn't it?"

Danny's shoulders slumped but he knew he couldn't stay mad at Dora. Vlad had been the one to ask her to do it in the first place, if anything. Speaking of…

"Hey, Dora?" said Danny, "Why do you call Vlad 'sir'?"

The former princess relaxed a bit and let out a quiet breath. Danny wondered if he shouldn't have asked.

"I respect him a great deal, for one," she responded honestly. "This, and he'd once saved my life."

Danny's eyes widened, his blue irises fully visible. "Vlad did?"

"I doubt he even remembers," she said somewhat sadly, "but I will forever be grateful, and in his debt. That's all I'll say at the moment."

Danny nodded, his curiosity growing tenfold. But he had no desire to push Dora anymore, with the way she seemed to treat the subject, it was a sensitive topic. Danny decided to move on.

"Vlad didn't happen to tell you what it is he's doing today, did he?" asked Danny.

Vlad rarely went to an office to work, though he had several. He usually worked from home, taking calls and scheduling meetings as needed.

"No," Dora said simply. "Maybe he's working with his abilities, he was in his ghost form when I last saw him."

Danny's eyebrows furrowed a bit. "You think he's practicing with his powers?"

"Perhaps, he could be doing a number of things though," replied Dora with a tilt of her head. "Why the interest?"

"I rarely see him train," Danny explained. "He's always insisted it's too dangerous. I guess I'm just curious about it."

Dora hummed thoughtfully, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. She seemed to find Danny amusing, judging by the small smile peeking out at the corner of her lips.

"It could be a new ability, one he doesn't wish for anyone to see…" Dora said lightly. Danny's eyes grew wide and the queen began to regret mentioning her theory.

"I hadn't thought of that," Danny said, brows furrowing in thought.

"It's probably nothing, Danny, really." Dora didn't like the look in his eyes. She gave the room a quick look over. "Maybe we should end here for today."

Danny nodded, glad he would not need to do anymore embarrassing scenarios. At least for now.

But the idea Dora had proposed stuck with him in a strange way. If Vlad was capable of hiding his secret identity for twenty years, he was obviously capable of hiding a new, potentially dangerous power.

But it was just a thought, a theory. He'd have to find out himself whether or not it was possible Dora was on to something. And Danny knew just the way to do it.

Feeling suddenly energized (something he hadn't felt in quite a while), Danny moved for the door.

"Thanks Dora," Danny said, stepping away. The dragon ghost looked worriedly at him as he departed. "I'll see you later."

Once safely hidden from any possible witnesses Danny changed forms. His plan would require stealth, cunning…and a lot of ice.

* * *

Vlad left his study promptly after finalizing the details for his weekend event. All seemed to be going according to plan, he just needed to convince Daniel to go- preferably of his own will.

There was one boy in particular he was hoping Daniel would find tolerable. He'd met the young man on a trip overseas and he seemed just humble enough to not want Daniel's friendship for his own gain. That...and the boy had an interest in the supernatural.

Perhaps a risky move on his part, but the reactions from Daniel would be worth it. Tomorrow morning his decorating team would be preparing the mansion for the event, he could speak to Daniel then.

Vlad slowed his steps just slightly as he tuned into his surroundings. Something didn't feel right all of the sudden.

Being a half ghost teaches a man to be wary. A discreet glance over his shoulder told Vlad he wasn't being followed, at least not obviously. But he listened to his core like an animal does his instincts, and right now he suddenly felt tense and on edge.

The eldest halfa pulled back his sleeve and checked his watch. It was just past time lunchtime. Daniel would be in the dining room, most likely assuming Vlad wouldn't make it due to his meetings.

He tried to distract himself by thinking of joining the boy for lunch but every so often the air would change just enough to be noticable. At least, to someone with heightened senses such as himself. Any normal person would think he was crazy, but Vlad could definitely sense a very slight change in temperature and spike of energy.

The problem was that he couldn't pinpoint it, and he began to grow aggravated. The changes were so slight and inconsistent he couldn't tell where- or from whom it might be coming from. Horrible memories of the recent attacks he'd witnessed quickly came to his mind.

Thinking swiftly, Vlad approached the next turn normally, waiting until he'd reached it to disappear around the corner. Another invisible ghost would see him regardless, but perhaps if he issued a challenge it would take the initiative and attack.

He changed fully into Plasmius and waited. Invisible and silent he stood, listening and feeling for any indication of an enemy. Minutes went by, and nothing. Not a temperature spike, a sudden indoor breeze, or even an ectosignature.

"Your being paranoid, Plasmius." he said with a sigh. Vlad then forced himself to relax, dropping his invisibility as he did so.

Now annoyed, the man headed off, reaching the dining room within a minute now that he wasn't slowing his steps. He could sense Daniel's ectosignature nearby and was relieved that he'd been right about the boy's whereabouts. Vlad grasped the double doors' sturdy, brass handles and instantly went still.

They were ice cold.

And quite literally at that. Frost began creeping up from the edges of the wood, the handles feeling as if they might give him frostbite. Vlad jerked back with a gasp, whirling around angrily to find the enemy responsible. He didn't have to search much.

Daniel was standing right behind him.

"Boo," the boy said with a smirk. Vlad dragged a hand down his blue face.

"I'm not in the mood for your games," he said, frustrated. Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"What games am I supposedly playing?" he asked, too innocently for Vlad's taste.

Vlad wasn't buying it. Daniel had clearly been invisible until now, otherwise Vlad would have noticed him.

"You just looked a little freaked," Daniel continued. "Like you've seen a- well, you know. I was just joking around."

"Nice try little badger," Vlad said, "but you're the only ghost in this house that has an ice core. You'll have to do better than that to fool me."

Daniel seemed about to argue, but suddenly looked down and tensed. Vlad crossed his arms with a sigh, unconvinced.

"What is it now?" asked the older halfa. Danny looked up at him through long, dark lashes.

"Am I in trouble?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Have you done something I should be aware of?"

Danny quickly shook his head. "You just look kinda wound up."

Vlad sighed quietly. If anyone should be worried about trouble, it would be himself. Vlad suddenly felt a twinge of guilt in his chest.

Outwardly, he stood firm in his belief that Daniel was better off not knowing about his plans for the weekend. But on the inside, he wasn't so sure this wouldn't set them back several paces as allies.

"I assure you," Vlad said as he pushed open the tall door before them, "I'm not the least bit 'wound up'."

A sudden, frightening chill raced past Vlad's head and down his spine, instantly setting off alarm bells in the man's head. Vlad heard a loud snapping sound and without another thought he turned and grabbed Danny, forcing them both to the ground.

"Get down!" he commanded, tuning out Danny's confused shout as he landed facedown under the man.

Vlad had a pink shield up in the next beat while his arms protected Danny's head, in case said shield wasn't enough. He held his breath, tensing when a loud crash was heard beside them. He saw Danny flinch hard and began to move his hand to the teen's shoulder, hoping to comfort him- until he realized that Danny was not frightened at all.

The boy was laughing. His fist was pressed to his mouth to muffle the sound but Vlad heard it all the same. Finally, Vlad turned and looked to the doorway to face their attacker, no longer fearing the worst.

Blue eyes turned red as he took in the mess before him; a large metal basin laying tipped, spilling chunks of freezing cold ice and half melted snow onto the floor. If the temperature from the room now flooding the hall was any indication, the ice had been there for a while, yet somehow not completely melted.

Unnatural ice and a snickering hybrid teenager. Even Jack Fenton could have figured this one out.

"Is something funny, Daniel?" asked Vlad with a sickening sweetness.

The boy had enough sense to snap his mouth shut completely, head turning to allow those bright blue eyes to peer up at him from the corners. He paled at Vlad's expression.

"O-okay, before you kill me," Danny said carefully. "I really did think you looked angry. I was only trying to lighten the mood! And I mean- if anything, I'm helping you relax-"

_"Relax?"_

Danny's eyes widened. "Well…yeah?"

Bracing for the worst but hoping for the best, Danny prayed Vlad didn't consider his prank a punishable offense. He wasn't sure he could shake off one of Plasmius' attacks from this close.

Feeling a sharp pinch on his ear Danny flinched, shutting his eyes tight. Vlad hauled him up by the grip on his appendage, all while his eyes remained fixed on him with a burning glare.

The billionaire tightened his hold on Danny's ear, giving the boy no choice but to meet his eyes. Vlad then let out an angry huff of air that felt way too hot blowing by Danny's head, and despite every fiber of his being on high alert he was more upset that his plan had failed.

This trick should have surprised Vlad enough to show off the new power he'd learned! If Danny understood the man at all, he understood how protective Vlad could be. Yet it seemed he hadn't taken into account Vlad's self-control.

Vlad's eyes looked tired as he leaned in a bit too close for comfort.

"Clean up this mess," he said, "and the next time you pull a prank like this, you'll clean this mansion top to bottom!"

Danny's ear was released and Vlad stepped back, changing back into his human form. He swiped imaginary dust from his suit and headed off down the hall, no longer interested in food. As soon as he was out of sight, Danny let out a breath of relief. He had been trying to get Vlad angry or defensive, but not at Danny _himself_.

He'd almost forgotten how scary his Plasmius form was.

Danny rubbed at the back of his neck as he gazed down at the mess he'd made. All for absolutely nothing; and if he tried again Vlad might make good on his threat.

_'A threat…'_ Danny thought, his eyes lighting up. _'Maybe I need something- or_ _**someone**_ _that Vlad actually considers threatening!'_

With renewed determination, Danny set about cleaning up, thinking carefully about how to go about this new plan.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -  
> Next Chapter- Danny ups the ante with his pranks, meanwhile Vlad tries to understand why he now feels guilty for his actions.  
> -  
> This is a two-parter, solely because I'm burnt out from being reborn from the ashes of writer's block. I'll be posting updates on my profile as often as their needed, so watch out for that.  
> -P


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